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Spinal-Fluid Test Confirmed To Predict Alzheimer's
omnibit writes "The New York Times reports that researchers have found a spinal-fluid test can be 100 percent accurate in identifying patients with significant memory loss who are on their way to developing Alzheimer's disease. The new study included more than 300 patients in their seventies, 114 with normal memories, 200 with memory problems, and 102 with Alzheimer's disease. Their spinal fluid was analyzed for amyloid beta, which forms plaques in the brain, and for tau, another protein that accumulates in dead and dying nerve cells in the brain. Nearly every person with Alzheimer's had the characteristic spinal fluid protein levels."
Yeah, not only that, but also it says that many people without Alzheimer's turned out positive too ... so they assumed those are going to develop Alzheimer's.
It produces false negatives, and it might be producing false-positives, but we won't know until 10 or 20 years later. But it still is 100% accurate. Nice math there. This trend of early publishing non peer reviewed material while making extraordinary claims, only to never hear from it again is starting to get really old.
WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
Watching my grandpa suffer through Alzheimer's, this is a real issue. At first he took it with a sense of humor, when I called he'd say, "hey, I almost forgot about you! Call more often!" But soon I could see it was really getting to him, and he was starting to withdraw into that stupor that people get into at convalescent homes.
So I forced him to be active; when he tries to tell me something, and can't think of the word, I just wait for him to spit it out, or tell him to explain it a different way. Get him active, help him see that life can be good even though he doesn't remember quite as well. I treat him like a human and make him connect to me like a human. No withdrawing into that shell just because you can't remember well. I took him to see giant trees and waves and stuff. Giant trees and waves always make you feel alive.
So now he is happier, got over his anger streak, and he doesn't worry if he can't remember everything (it doesn't matter if you can find a way to work around it).
Qxe4