Alzheimer’s disease affects around half of the 700,000 people with dementia in the UK and this figure is set to increase sharply in years to come, with similar trends expected in other countries because of the aging of the population. Therefore, there’s a keen interest in new and more effective ways of diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease. Research from a team in New York now suggests that loss of the sense of smell might be an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, opening up the possibility of a new way of diagnosing the condition. Experiments in mice suggest that deficits in the sense of smell are linked with a build up of amyloid protein, which is the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

In another study, researchers used dyes to visualize retinal cells in animals which were prone to develop a disorder like Alzheimer’s disease. This new technique enabled them to monitor the stage and type of cell death in the retina as neurodegeneration progressed. It will help to understand what exactly happens to cells in Alzheimer’s disease, how they die and maybe even why. This is the first time that cell death has been monitored in the retina of live animals. The approach could also lead to a simple eye test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease – maybe, in the future, it could even be included in a routine annual eye exam.

Sources:

Wesson D et al Olfactory dysfunction correlates with amyloid-β burden in an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model Journal of Neuroscience January 13 2010;30:505-514

Cordeiro M et al Imaging multiple phases of neurodegeneration: a novel approach to assessing cell death in vivo Cell Death & Disease January 2010