Diagnosing Alzheimer's

Question 1

What are the tools currently used to diagnose Alzheimer’s?

Answer 1

- patient history 
• Information from family and friends 
• Physical and neurological exams and lab tests
• Neuropsychological/cognitive tests
•  CT scan, (MRI)

Question 2

What is the Mini Mental State Exam?

Answer 2

aka: “Folstein test” is a 30-point questionnaire that is used extensively in clinical and research settings to measure cognitive impairment. It is commonly used in medicine and allied health to screen for dementia. It is also used to estimate the severity and progression of cognitive impairment and to follow the course of cognitive changes in an individual over time

Question 3

What score on the Mini Mental State Exam is detectable for AD?

Answer 3

A score of 24 is common in AD patients.

Question 4

What are the biomarkers used to detect AD?

Answer 4

CNS amyloid beta deposition 
     - Amyloid PET – Amyvid
     - CSF Amyloid beta 42 levels 
Neuronal injury 
     - CSF tau protein
     - 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET 
     - Atrophy detected on structural brain MRI

Question 5

What is the hypothesized function of Autoantibodies?

Answer 5

Autoantibodies are involved in the clearance of debris generated by the body on a day-to-day basis.

The presence of disease leads to production of excessive debris from the organ affected ….and this leads to an increased abundance of autoantibodies responsible for the clearance of disease-associated debris

Question 6

How many Autoantibodies are found in AD people more than non-AD people?

Answer 6

451 Autoantibodies specifically for AD patients

but we only use the top 10 in microarray assays

Question 7

How many Autoantibodies are on a Diagnostic Microarray?

Answer 7

20-50 Autoantibodies

Question 8

How many Protein Targets are on a Diagnostic Microarray?

Answer 8

20,000