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Investigators - Dementia in the News - Media Room BBC News
(January 14, 2010): Eye Test May Detect Alzheimer's A simple eye
test might be able to detect Alzheimer's and other diseases
before symptoms develop, according to UK scientists. The
technique uses fluorescent markers which attach to dying cells
which can be seen in the retina and give an early indication of
brain cell death. The research has been carried out on mice, but
human trials are planned. Scientists from University College
London hope this could lead to a high street opticians test for
the disease. The research, which is published in the journal,
Cell Death and Disease, could enable scientists to overcome the
difficulty of investigating what is happening inside the brains
of those with Alzheimer's. They currently have to rely on
expensive MRI scans or post-mortems. This new technique enables
scientists to track the progress of brain disease by looking at
dying cells in the retina.