In a study from Simon Fraser University, scientists found a combination of genetics and brain MRIs may help predict the chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease in the future.
They identified distinct properties of brain MRIs and genetics that impact the prediction of Dementia of Alzheimer’s Type, or DAT, for patients at various stages of the disease, then developed a biomarker that can help predict future conversion to DAT.
The findings showed that while genetic features have lower predictive power than MRI features, combining both modalities can improve the performance in predicting the future conversion to DAT.
Dementia scores based on genetic data were shown to better predict future DAT progression in currently normal patients who will develop DAT at a later time, while MRI data, which reflects anatomical changes in the brain, was shown to better predict future DAT in those with mild cognitive impairment.
The team says in a clinical setting, clinicians can use their model to predict a quantitative score indicating the similarity between a subject’s observed patterns based on MRI and genetic data at the time of the clinical visit and DAT patterns.
This is extremely useful, specifically at the MCI (mild cognitively impaired) stage in identifying those who will progress to DAT in the future.
Being able to accurately estimate the chance of future conversion to DAT using only baseline information is extremely valuable because it provides practitioners with deep insight and enough time to plan appropriate care for each patient based on their probability of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Furthermore, it can provide potentially critical information for drug trials and the development of preventative measures.
This information can aid in the selection of the appropriate cohort of patients for clinical trials, which can lead to a more promising outcome.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about antioxidants that could help reduce the risk of dementia, and 5 steps to protect against Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that herb rosemary could help fight COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s disease, and results showing this stuff in mouth may help prevent Alzheimer’s.
The study was conducted by Ghazal Mirabnahrazam et al and published in…
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