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Changes in the Eye and Sense of Smell May Predict Alzheimer’s

| July 14, 2014 Comment

Changes in the eye and sense of smell may help predict Alzheimer’s earlier and more cheaply. Current tests for Alzheimer’s disease include testing patients’ memory and  their ability to function in general, but scientists have been trying to identify biological markers that can help diagnose the disease earlier.

According to researchers, other symptoms, such as changes in the retina and sense of smell, happen years earlier than decline in memory. Amyloid plaques in the brain are associated with this degenerative disease. Instead of using brain imaging to detect these, simpler ways to test for these would be through eye-imaging and see if plaque is present, since the plaque is also deposited in the eyes in Alzheimer’s patients. The test is noninvasive and less expensive.

Researchers are also discovering that a decline in the sense of smell is also associated with Alzheimer’s. A study revealed that those who were unable to identify different smells were found to have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s. More….

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