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( FDA approved )

A much-anticipated test developed by Eli Lilly & Co. that detects the presence of proteins in the brain that are related to Alzheimer's disease was approved Friday by the Food and Drug Administration.

The tool could enable clinicians to detect Alzheimer's earlier and more accurately in patients at the earliest sign of memory problems—a potential boon to treatment and developing drugs against the disease.

The test uses a chemical called florbetapir, known by the brand name Amyvid, which is a radioactive agent that tags clumps of a sticky substance called an amyloid. Amyloid proteins are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. The chemical, which costs $1,600 per dose, then is detected using a brain imaging technique called positron emission tomography, known as PET scans.

For patients who already have some symptoms of cognitive decline, a positive scan suggests that moderate to frequent amyloid plaques are present in the brain, which is consistent with Alzheimer's disease. If the scan is negative, indicating no clumps or few clumps of amyloid, "that gives the clinician a clue that Alzheimer's is less likely to be the cause of those symptoms," said Daniel Skovronsky, who developed the agent and is the global brand-development leader for Amyvid at Lilly. For those patients, doctors can then look for other potential causes of the memory decline, which may have another prognosis or be treated differentially than Alzheimer's, he said. Continue to read: wsj.com

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2012/02/07/2047945/obama-to-seek-more-alzheimers.html#storylink=cpy

TODAY'S PHOTO

Coconut Oil and Alzheimer's

It's too early to know whether coconut oil plays a role in preventing dementia. A study that followed mid-life adults for 14 years found that those with highest scores for an overall healthy diet were 86 to 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later adult life. Read more: infozine.com

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