Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Futurity

    PET scans make a difference in Alzheimer’s diagnosis

    New research is a step toward understanding how imaging results affect the diagnosis and treatment of people with Alzheimer's.
    by Mollie Rappe-Brown Apr 03, 2019 1 minute
    PET scan patient (PET scans concept)

    Brain imaging to detect Alzheimer’s-related plaques affects clinical diagnosis and management of patients with mild cognitive impairment and dementia, according to a new study.

    The findings, which appear in in the Journal of the American Medical Association, are a step toward understanding how imaging results ultimately affect patient outcomes. The study included 11,409 Medicare beneficiaries, 595 different clinical sites, and 946 dementia specialists.

    The team found that providing clinicians with the results of positron emission tomography (PET) scans that identify amyloid plaques in the brain changed medical management—including the use of medications and counseling about dementia risks—in more than 60 percent of patients. This information also altered the diagnosis as to the cause of cognitive impairment in more than one in three study participants.

    Here, Constantine Gatsonis, a professor of biostatistics in Brown University’s School of Public Health, shares insights on the Imaging Dementia—Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) study and his role as lead statistician.

    The post PET scans make a difference in Alzheimer’s diagnosis appeared first on Futurity.

    More from Futurity

    Futurity3 min read
    Young Heavy Drinkers Cut Alcohol Use During Pandemic
    A new study finds heavy-drinking young adults decreased alcohol intake during the pandemic. The researchers found alcohol use and alcohol-related problems substantially decreased in heavy-drinking young adults during the pandemic, and these decreases
    Futurity4 min read
    Alzheimer’s Moves Faster In People With Down Syndrome
    A new study shows that Alzheimer’s disease both starts earlier and moves faster in people with Down syndrome, The finding may have important implications for the treatment and care of this vulnerable group of patients. Nearly all adults with Down syn
    Futurity5 min read
    Why Saber Tooth Cats Kept Their Baby Teeth
    Analysis suggests the baby teeth of saber tooth cats stayed in place for years to stabilize the growing permanent saber tooth, perhaps allowing adolescents to learn how to hunt without breaking them. The fearsome, saber-like teeth of Smilodon fatalis

    Related