Aethlon Medical Inc (AEMD)

[ANESRI]

New 15-Minute At-Home Test May Detect Alzheimer's, Goes Viral

http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2014/01/14/new-15-minute-at-home-test-may-detect-alzheimers-goes-viral/

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/271144.php

Treatments best started 'sooner than later'
Dr. Scharre notes that while the test does not diagnose Alzheimer's disease itself, it is a good tool that allows doctors to determine patients' initial cognitive function and to monitor this over time.

"We can give them the test periodically and, the moment we notice any changes in their cognitive abilities, we can intervene much more rapidly," he adds.

The Alzheimer's Association states that the number of people in the US with Alzheimer's disease aged 65 years and older is expected to almost triple to 13.8 million by the year 2050, and the researchers note that around 22% of people aged 60 years and over will have some form of mild cognitive impairment by this point.

But Dr. Scharre says he hopes that in enabling earlier detection of cognitive issues, the SAGE test will help in the treatment of these individuals.

"We are finding better treatments, and we know that patients do much better if they start the treatments sooner than later," he adds.

However, Dr. Doug Brown of the Alzheimer's Society in the UK notes that although the SAGE test is an "interesting development," home test are currently "not a reliable" way of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia.

"Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment are difficult to diagnose, and we need to continue to fund more research into tests like this and other ways that may help improve the accuracy and ease of diagnosis," he adds.