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HAVE the benefits of a test for Alzheimerās been overlooked? A biological āsignatureā for may be the key to new treatments.
A study published last week found the protein signature in 90 per cent of 102 people with the disease, 72 per cent of 200 people with mild cognitive impairment and, crucially, 36 per cent of 114 people with no cognitive problems.
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While a potential test for Alzheimerās is important, just as crucial is the fact that anyone with the signature in the latter two groups could now be included in drug trials (Archives of Neurology, ).
Despite millions of dollars of research, there are no drugs that can stop or slow Alzheimerās. Part of the reason is that by the time people are diagnosed and enter trials, it is already too late- Alzheimerās-related changes to the brain may start decades before symptoms appear. Identifying those at risk may be the key to finding a cure.