00:00A simple blood test could be the key to diagnosing Alzheimer's disease years before symptoms impact
00:06the patient. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine say searching for a specific
00:11protein in the blood could be used as a kind of biological clock to predict when symptoms
00:17might begin to show. The study tracked this protein over years and found that the amount
00:22of this protein in the blood increases in a, quote, remarkably consistent pattern long before
00:29memory loss begins. The blood test is both easier to administer and cheaper than brain scans or spinal
00:35fluid tests that have been the standard for diagnosing the disease. In this new study,
00:40researchers say they predicted the onset of the disease with a margin of error of three to four
00:44years. They're now working to decrease that span while two separate studies are looking at the
00:49impact of treating patients with Alzheimer's drugs before symptoms appear in hopes that it may boost
00:54the effectiveness of the treatments.
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