Scientists havedeveloped skin tests that may be used in the future to identify people withAlzheimer's disease and may ultimately allow physicians to predict who is atrisk of
getting thisneurological(神经病学的)disorder.
The only currentmeans of diagnosing the disease in a living patient is a long and expensiveseries of tests that eliminate every other cause of dementia.
"Since AloisAlzheimer described the disease nearly a century ago,people have been trying tofind a way to accurately diagnose it in its early stages,"said Patricia
Grady,actingdirector of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in
efforts to deal withand understand the disease."
Alzheimer's is thesingle greatest cause of mental deterioration in older people,affecting between2.5 million and 4 million people in the
disorder graduallydestroys memory and the ability to function,and eventually causes death.Thereis currently no known treatment for the disease.
Researchersdiscovered that the skin cells of Alzheimer’s patients have defects thatinterfere with their ability to regulate the flow of potassium in and out ofthe cells.The fact
that the celldefects are present in the skin suggests that Alzheimer's results fromphysiological changes throughout the body,and that dementia may be the firstnoticeable
effect of thesechanges as the defects affect the cells in the brain,scientists said.
The flow ofpotassium is especially critical in cells responsible for memory formation.Thescientists also found two other defects that affect the cells'supply of
calcium,anothercritical element.
One test developedby researches calls for growing skin cells in a laboratory culture and thentesting them with an electrical detector to determine if the microscopictunnels
that govern the flowof potassium are open.Open potassium channels create a unique electricalsignature.
A spokesman for theAlzheimer's Association said that if the validity of the diagnostic test can beproven it would be an important development,but he cautioned that other
promising tests forAlzheimer's have been disappointing.
The passage indicatesthat Alzheimer's is a disease______.
A.common topeople,old and young
B.not costly to becured
C.easy to be handled
D.not easy to bediagnosed
[单选题]More About Alzheimer's DiseaseScientists havedeveloped skin tests that may
[单选题]More About Alzheimer's DiseaseScientists havedeveloped skin tests that may
[单选题]More About Alzheimer's DiseaseScientists havedeveloped skin tests that may
[单选题]More About Alzheimer's DiseaseScientists havedeveloped skin tests that may
[单选题]More AboutAlzheimer' s DiseaseScientists havedeveloped skin tests that may
[单选题]More AboutAlzheimer' s DiseaseScientists havedeveloped skin tests that may
[单选题]More AboutAlzheimer' s DiseaseScientists havedeveloped skin tests that may
[单选题]More AboutAlzheimer' s DiseaseScientists havedeveloped skin tests that may
[单选题]More AboutAlzheimer' s DiseaseScientists havedeveloped skin tests that may
[单选题]Liver DiseaseThe liver is thesecond largest organ in your body. The liver p