Direct Relationship Seen Between Plasma Aβ Levels and Cognitive Decline (part 3)

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities





Get your subscription to Activity Director Today's e magazine" />

Pam Harrison (Medscape Today)

Relatively Rapid Decline

As the authors point out, the relatively rapid cognitive decline seen as a function of high baseline plasma Aβ levels and stable or decreasing Aβ42 in the entire sample is not surprising given that a similar plasma Aβ profile predicted conversion to Alzheimer's disease in the same sample in an earlier study — cognitive decline in more than one domain is a prerequisite for incident Alzheimer's disease.

"We need to further validate these Aβ levels, and we also need to understand how plasma Aβ levels relate to brain levels," Dr. Cosentino cautioned. "But once we have a better understanding of this, testing patients for plasma Aβ levels is an inexpensive and noninvasive way to identify people at greater risk for cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease, and ultimately, this would be very important in terms of being able to provide preventive treatment when we have such a treatment."

The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.