Actor Charlton Heston, diagnosed earlier this year with Alzheimer's disease, is advocating the use of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans for the early diagnosis of the condition.

With a PET scan, doctors can detect Alzheimer's by analyzing the metabolic activity of a patient's brain. The PET scans of patients who will develop Alzheimer's disease show unique patterns of abnormal metabolic brain activity. Heston was diagnosed with Alzheimer's after a PET scan detected signs of the disease.

A public service announcement, released by the Academy of Molecular Imaging (AMI), closely follows the release of new Alzheimer's research showing that PET scans can decrease the amount of false Alzheimer's diagnoses by almost 50 percent.

Researchers have also found that the use of PET to assess whether patients had Alzheimer's would correspond to a 62 percent decrease in avoidable months of nursing home care and a 48 percent drop in unnecessary drug treatment.

"Even a six-month difference in the date of detection can profoundly affect the progression of Alzheimer's," said Dr. Michael E. Phelps, inventor of PET technology. "The AMI is sponsoring this public service announcement to increase consumer awareness, particularly for those who are concerned about their own health or the health of their loved ones."

In the public service announcement, Heston speaks on behalf of the AMI and cites the benefit of early diagnosis, which can give patients extended quality time with loved ones. Early diagnosis also enables doctors to diagnose the disease before the symptoms set in, allowing patients to take advantage of drugs that help delay progression of the disease.

Other sources: Academy of Molecular Imaging