New tests provide the answer to when individuals will develop Alzheimer’s disease

Older ladyOlder lady.Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB scanpix

Norwegian and American researchers have developed a genetic response test that can answer the question of when a person will develop Alzheimer’s.

 

Professor Ole A. Andreassen of the University of Oslo helped develop the test, wrote NRK news. He says that everybody gets the disease if they just grow old enough. He said that it will take time before the test is used in Norway.


Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. According to Andreassen, the test is based on the fact that special genetic variants determine when the disease will develop. Researchers found that the disease develops over a period of 20 years. The test can accurately predict when the disease will show its first symptoms.


‘It may be important for the individual to know about this so that one can plan old age better, and possibly change lifestyle habits so to delay the onset of symptoms,’ he said.


The test provides hope for finding effective medicines to treat Alzheimer’s. Andreassen pointed out that maybe today’s treatment starts when it’s already too late. General Secretary of Folkehelsen (People’s Health),Lisbet Rugtvedt, believes strongly in the test.


‘Now we have hope that it will be possible to develop medicines,’ she said.


The research is a collaboration between Norment (Norwegian Center for Research on Mental Illnesses) at the University of Oslo, and the Centre for Translational Imaging and Precision Medicine at the University of California in San Diego.

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today