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Alzheimer's damage to brain might be apparent 10 years before diagnosis

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted April 25, 2011

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Areas of the brain affected by Alzheimer's disease might start shrinking up to a decade before dementia is diagnosed, according to a report published online April 13 in Neurology.

Researchers studied 65 adults who had no signs of the neurologic condition. One group of the adults was followed for an average of 11 years, and the other for an average of seven years. Everyone received an MRI at baseline and underwent annual clinical evaluations to determine the level of impairment.

Researchers found that participants with a smaller brain size in the Alzheimer's-related areas of the brain were more likely to develop the disease than those with larger measurements (link). Of the 11 adults who had the lowest MRI measurements, 55% developed Alzheimer's. No dementia was identified among the nine people with the highest measurements.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/04/25/hlbf0425.htm.

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