A new study adds further evidence that when a patient or family member notices signs of persistent memory loss, it's important to speak with a doctor. While there are many reasons why someone's memory may change, researchers from Mass General Brigham who are studying patients prior to diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease found changes in the brain when patients and their study partners-;those who could answer questions about their daily cognitive function-;reported a decline in cognition. Using imaging, the researchers found reports of cognitive decline were associated with accumulation of tau tangles-;a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.
Results are published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Something as simple as asking about memory complaints can track with disease severity at the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease." Rebecca E.
Amariglio, PhD, senior author of the Department of Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital Amariglio is a clinical neuropsychologist at both Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, the founding members of Mass General Brigham. "We now understand that changes in the brain due to Alzheimer's disease start well before patients show clinical symptoms detected by a doctor. There is increasing evidence that individuals themselves or a close family member may notice changes in memory, even before a clinical measure picks up evidence of cognitive impairment.
" The new study, led by first aut.