[Infowarrior] - Eye test spots Alzheimer's 20 years before symptoms

[Richard Forno]

Eye test that spots Alzheimer's 20 years before symptoms: Middle-aged  
could be screened at routine optician's visit
By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 1:27 AM on 15th January 2010

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1243181/Simple-eye-test-Alzheimers-catch-disease-crucial-early-stage.html#

A test that can detect Alzheimer's up to 20 years before any symptoms  
show is being developed by British scientists.
The simple and inexpensive eye test could be part of routine  
examinations by high street opticians in as little as three years,  
allowing those in middle age to be screened.

Dementia experts said it had the power to revolutionise the treatment  
of Alzheimer's by making it possible for drugs to be given in the  
earliest stages.

The technique, being pioneered at University College London, could  
also speed up the development of medication capable of stopping the  
disease in its tracks, preventing people from ever showing symptoms.

Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer's Trust, said: 'These findings have the  
potential to transform the way we diagnose Alzheimer's, greatly  
enhancing efforts to develop new treatments.'

Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia blight the lives of 700,000  
Britons and their families, and the number of cases is expected to  
double within a generation.



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There is no cure and existing drugs do not work for everyone.

Current diagnosis is based on memory tests, and expensive brain scans  
are also sometimes used.

However decisive proof of the disease usually comes from examination  
of the patient's brain after death.

The eye test would provide a quick, easy, cheap and highly-accurate  
diagnosis.

It exploits the fact that the light-sensitive cells in the retina at  
the back of the eye are a direct extension of the brain.

Using eye drops which highlight diseased cells, the UCL researchers  
showed for the first time in a living eye that the amount of damage to  
cells in the retina directly corresponds with brain cell death.

They have also pinpointed the pattern of retinal cell death  
characteristic of Alzheimer's. So far their diagnosis has been right  
every time.

With research showing that cells start to die ten to 20 years before  
the symptoms of Alzheimer's become evident, it could allow people to  
be screened in middle age for signs of the disease.

However, some may not want to know their fate so far in advance. There  
is also the fear that insurance companies could increase premiums for  
those who test positive while still young.

The experiments, reported in the journal Cell Death & Disease, have  
been on animals but the team are poised to start the first human trials.

Researcher Professor Francesca Cordeiro said: 'The equipment used for  
this research is essentially the same as is used in clinics and  
hospitals worldwide.

'It is also inexpensive and non-invasive, which makes us fairly  
confident that we can progress quickly to its use in patients.

'It is entirely possible that in the future a visit to a high street  
optician to check on your eyesight will also be a check on the state  
of your brain.'

The technique could also improve the diagnosis of other conditions,  
including glaucoma and Parkinson's disease.

In the short term, an early diagnosis would give patients and their  
families much more time to prepare for the future.

In the longer term, it would allow new drugs that stop the disease in  
their tracks to reach their full potential.

Professor Cordeiro said: 'If you give the treatment early enough, you  
can stop the disease progressing, full stop.'

Dr Susanne Sorensen, of the Alzheimer's Society, cautioned that the  
test was still experimental but added: 'This research is very  
exciting. If we can delay the onset of dementia by five years, we can  
halve the number of people who will die from the disease.'