For the study, Jacobson and his colleagues at the VA and the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) recruited 20 normal elderly individuals and 20 potential Alzheimer's patients who showed little or no clinical signs of the disease. The 40 veterans participated in 2 neuropsychological tests, 1 focusing on their verbal naming ability and another to test visual-spatial skills. The groups were split evenly in terms of those who excelled verbally and those with superior spatial skills.
"We found that the elderly patients who later developed Alzheimer's showed an asymmetric pattern, or uneven changes, in their cognitive test results several years before their diagnosis," says Jacobson, one of the study's authors.
Jacobson's team is also using a special MRI procedure called functional neuroimaging to record changes in brain blood flow in an attempt to learn whether the cognitive performance differences reflect anatomical or functional changes in brain function and structure.
Elsewhere in the country, researchers are studying the association between apolipoprotein E (ApoE), a gene that helps metabolize cholesterol, and the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Studies have shown that healthy middle-aged adults who carry a variation of the gene have difficulties in spatial attention and working memory similar to those clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
DON'T FORGET: HELP IS OUT THERE
Patients or families who need support or are interested in learning about Alzheimer's disease clinical trials can call the national Alzheimer's Association at 1-800-272-3900.
