An imaging technique that identifies abnormalities in the brain's hippocampus could lead to a new detection method for early Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

The hippocampus is one of the first places where the amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease are formed.

Researchers developed a method of measuring the balance of signals (functional synchrony) from different areas of the brain. The method, called the COSLOF (coefficients of spontaneous low frequency), is used in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Because Alzheimer's disease disrupts the balance of brain signals, researchers have been able to detect a lower COSLOF index within the hippocampus in patients with the condition.

Investigators conducted a study consisting of three subject groups (nine cognitively healthy elderly control subjects, ten patients with probably Alzheimer's disease and five subjects with mild cognitive impairment). The individuals underwent an MRI to measure the functional synchrony in the hippocampus.

The COSLOF index was significantly lower in the patients with Alzheimer's disease than in the control group, according to the findings published in the journal Radiology.

"Our results suggest that the COSLOF index could be used as a noninvasive quantitative marker for the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease," concluded the researchers.

A five-year study is being planned to test the COSLOF index in predicting a person's risk for developing Alzheimer's disease.

Other sources: Radiology