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lzheimer’s disease can be detected years before symp- toms appear using new scans that measure the thickness of certain areas of the brain.


The results of a small study pub- lished in April demonstrated that brain thinness can often lead to the disease in later life and that 55% of those with brains of be- low average thickness went on to contract Alzheimer’s, whilst none of those with thicker brains did.


The news, published in the jour- nal Neurology, could be extremely benefi cial to future treatment for the disease, as the evidence sug- gests Alzheimer’s starts to devel-


op during middle age. Treatment at this time would therefore be most effective.


Rebecca Wood, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:


“This adds to growing evidence that the changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease begin


long before symptoms start to appear.


“However, this is a small study and it needs to be expanded before we can be certain of the method’s accuracy in predicting Alzheimer’s.”


One in 14 UK citizens over 65 suf- fer from Alzheimer’s.


national health executive May/Jun 11 | 71


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