Animal studies have found that optical equipment can be used to screen for Alzheimer's disease in mice, a technique that holds promise for application in humans. In the future, screening for dementia could be as quick and easy as testing for high blood pressure or diabetes.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston used infrared laser light to examine the lenses of eight mice, half of which were healthy and half of which had the disease. The technique successfully distinguished between the mice with and without dementia. The key lies in detecting the presence of beta-amyloid protein in the lens, which affects its clarity.

In dementia patients, beta-amyloid protein accumulates in the brain, impairing brain function, and also deposits in the lens, appearing similar to cataracts but distinct from age-related cataracts.

The research team believes that this non-invasive optical examination could detect early-stage dementia, allowing for timely treatment, and could also be used to monitor disease progression and treatment efficacy.

Professor Ballard of the Alzheimer's Association in the United States considers this method to be low-cost and simple, but further research is needed to confirm that the beta-amyloid protein levels in the lens can reliably identify dementia in humans.

Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ LIFE/ LIF2/ 3509562. shtml