Blood Test for Alzheimer's Coming ?

  Researchers in a study of 75,708 participants found that low levels of APOE in the blood reflects a low level of APOE in the brain  which indicates that Beta-amyloid is less effectively removed. Beta-amyloid in excess is toxic to brain cells.
  Low plasma levels of APOE are associated with increased risk of future Alzheimer's and all causes of dementia.
  Plasma levels of APOE may be a new preclinical biomarker.
Annals of Neurology Feb 2015

Blood Test for Alzheimer's Disease ?

  From Georgetown researchers, a ten phospholipid blood biomarker panel consisting of phosphotidylcholine and acylcarnitine revealed the breakdown of neural cell membranes inpatients that eventually declared themselves cognitively impaired such as that seen in Alzheimer's disease.
  The drawback, in real-world screening, the predictive value would be 35%, leaving two thirds of positive screening results in patients results to be false.
  By the authors own admission, this study requires external validation using rigorous clinical classification before further development for clinical use.
  Additionally, one must continue to broach the ethical conundrum of such predictive tests as this as well as CSF biomarker research results in a disease with no known cause or cure.
Nat Med 2014;DOI:10.1038/nm.3466

BABIES ! with Alzheimer's disease Gene Mutation Show Changes in their Brains

  From researchers at Brown university, hundreds of infants were enrolled once their saliva was found to reveal gene mutations of APOE4. Those babies with at least one copy of the APOE4 mutation displayed changes in their brains affected by Alzheimer's on MRI. The significance of these findings is uncertain.
JAMA NEUROL. 2013; E-pub 2013 Nov. 25

Gene Mutation Increases Risk of Alzheimer's

  ABCA7 genetic mutation in African Americans nearly doubles the risk of Alzheimer's disease. It is not associated with the disease in Europeans.
JAMA April 10, 2013

Amyloid PET Scans Not Deemed to Improve Alzheimer Outcomes

  Members of a Medicare advisory panel (MEDCAC) concluded that there is insufficient evidence that PET scans completed using a new radioimaging contrast agent that identifies amyloid-beta burden in patients (amyvid, that received FDA approval last spring, as previously reported) improves health outcomes in suspected cases of early AD.
  This reaffirms the previously stated conundrum of neurologists that ask "Ok, so my patient has a significant amyloid-beta burden on PET scan, now what ?" as there are no universally accepted methods of treatment for such AND no clear evidence in humans that doing so affects the course of the disease. In addition, there is evidence in animal models of AD that amyloid-beta like proteins have an anti-microbial effect (neuro-protective at levels that are not neuro-toxic)
MEDCAC Jan 30,2013