November 2004

Austin trials technique to diagnose Alzheimer’s

Austin Health is trialling a new scanning technique to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

The technique, developed at the University of Pittsburgh in the United States, was performed in Australia for the first time during a clinical trial by the Austin Hospital’s Centre for PET (Positron Emission Tomography).

‘The new scans will provide a more accurate diagnosis of early stages of Alzheimer’s before dementia develops,’ said centre head Associate Professor Christopher Rowe.

Associate Professor Rowe said with early detection, patients could make decisions about their options—including participating in trials.

Recent clinical trials have been designed to remove toxic protein build-up in the brain that is thought to be a precursor to Alzheimer’s.

‘The scans will also enable the success of those treatments to be clearly measured,’ Associate Professor Rowe said.

Alzheimer’s Disease is usually characterised by a progressive loss of memory, cognitive function and behavioural changes.

It is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly affecting about 20 million people worldwide.

‘A toxic protein build-up in brain tissue is thought to cause Alzheimer’s,’ he said.

‘We can now measure that build-up using PET scans combined with the new chemical C-11 PIB that traces the protein.’

The six-month scan-study will test 20 ‘normal’ volunteers who have no symptoms, 25 people who have minor memory loss/cognitive impairment and 20 with established mild Alzheimer’s disease.

Austin Health is recruiting for ‘normal’ volunteers only.

• For more information on participating in this research visit www.austin.org.au or contact Austin Hospital on 9496 5534.