|
A test
used currently to identify memory difficulties may also make
it possible to predict the development of Alzheimer s disease
decades later and increase the window of opportunity for preventative
treatment.
The test
is the Benton Visual Retention Test, which measures visual
perception and memory. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine theorized that a poor performance on the
test may represent an early expression of Alzheimer s disease.
Their findings are reported in the April issue of Neurology.
Their
study involved 1,425 participants from a multidisciplinary
study of normal aging conducted by the National Institute
on Aging. All of them were older than 60 years old.
The researchers
found that participants who made six or more errors on the
test versus those who made six or less errors were 83 percent
more likely to develop Alzheimer s disease 10 to 15 years
later.
Source:
Alzheimer Week
of May 18, 2003
|
HOME PAGE
