BREAKTHROUGH. A study on how PET scanning can detect early signs of Alzheimer’s is being highlighted as one of this week’s most interesting research in the renowned Nature. Behind the study are researchers from MedTech West/Sahlgrenska Academy and the University of California, Berkeley.
A study published by researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy and the University of California in Berkeley, was recently able to show that a new brain imaging method can be used to track progressive stages of Alzheimer’s disease in cognitively normal adults.
The results are described as a major step forward in being able to provide early diagnoses for neurodegenerative diseases. Attention in Sweden and internationally has been enormous and the study has been presented on SVT and the Discovery Channel, and in The Telegraph and the Daily Mail.
Now, the journal, Nature, is highlighting the study as being one of this week’s absolutely most interesting internationally. Michael Schöll collaborated in the study on behalf of Sahlgrenska Academy:
What does it mean to you as a researcher and for your research that published studies attract attention even outside of the academic world?
“It shows that there is a strong interest in the disease by the general public and a strong hope of finding a functional treatment. It is positive, not just for our research, but for all research groups that are doing similar studies, particularly in Sweden. Positive news of our progress can hopefully contribute to increased support for research, so that we can jointly succeed in solving the riddle of Alzheimer’s.”
Where does the study go from here?
“I will return to Berkeley for a short period to conduct further studies and more detailed analyses, where we will focus on the possibility of identifying signs of the disease at an even earlier stage.”
The article PET Imaging of Tau Deposition in the Aging Human Brain was published in Neuron on March 2.
Link to article: http://www.cell.com/neuron/pdf/S0896-6273%2816%2900053-2.pdf
Link to Nature: http://www.nature.com/
