KETK - Doctors still don't know the exact cause of Alzheimer's Disease, but they're making a lot of progress.
Researchers are working hard to find new ways to better diagnose, treat, and even prevent the illness.
Dr. Andrew Schmitt, a professor at UT Tyler, compares it to different medical mystery decades ago.
"When we think of the model of Alzheimer's Disease, it might be good to look back at the model of cancer when it was at its early inception. In the 1940's and 1950's, it was considered pretty much a death knell, but now we look at it and we think of it with early diagnosis, early identification and treatment models, not necessarily a cure," Dr. Schmitt said.
Through brain imaging, scientists are learning more and more about the molecular and cellular changes going on inside someone with Alzheimer's.
They believe something called "plaques and tangles" in the brain could be causing the disease. These "plaques and tangles" seem to prevent information from being transported throughout the brain.
"They're usually straight, like railroad tracks. There is a tao protein that keeps these microtubules straight. In impaired tao, when you have tao that is malformed or mutated, these railroad tracks become tangled up," Dr. Schmitt said.
Doctors say the future of diagnosis is being able to see the plaques and tangles before symptoms start.
Dr. Jerome Lisk at the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Neuroscience Institute is a local neurologist on the front lines.
"We're coming to this disease, probably halfway, in the middle of this disease. So how do we develop bio-markers, blood tests, look at spinal fluid, blood tests or something from the human body to see if someone is already developing Alzheimer's before we can detect it," Dr. Lisk said.
As far as treatment of the disease, the medication currently on the market only helps out with symptoms.
"The medications were using are trying to activate the cells that are still alive. The next lines of medication is focused on, can we prevent cell death or can we reverse cell death?" Dr. Schmitt said.
"Two of the medications in clinical trial right now will be game changers and they'll probably be available around 2020 or 2019," Dr. Lisk said.
Doctors say the future of Alzheimer's treatment will involve treating the "plaques and tangles" in the brain.
"10 years from now, there will be things out there that, instead of just treating the symptoms, I think we'll actually be preventing the formation of plaques and tangles," Dr. Schmitt said.
Once again, doctors say the best way to combat Alzheimer's is to notice the signs early.
"I think the good thing is that there is more education than there was 10 or 20 years ago," Dr. Schmitt said.
And they say good nutrition, regular exercise and social interaction are key to preventing the disease.
Scientists and engineers are working on better molecular and cellular imaging systems, so dementia can be found earlier.
Alzheimers Disease & Dementia Causes and Treatments trinity rp | |
| 2 Likes | 2 Dislikes |
| 112 views views | 937 followers |
| Science & Technology | Upload TimePublished on 14 Nov 2017 |
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét