Health

Massachusetts researchers find memory loss may predict brain changes associated with Alzheimer's

By Mallika Marshall, MD

May 29, 2024 / 5:30 PM EDT / CBS Boston

Mass General study finds memory loss could be sign of Alzheimer's disease

BOSTON - Researchers in Massachusetts have found that complaints of memory loss by patients or their loved ones could predict changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers at Mass General Brigham took 675 volunteers who were at risk for Alzheimer's disease but not diagnosed with it and had them and a partner fill out questionnaires about cognitive function. Each participant also underwent special brain imaging.

They found that reports of memory loss by patients and their partners were associated with the accumulation of a protein in the brain called tau, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. This provides further evidence that changes in the brain start well before patients show clinical symptoms that can be detected by a healthcare provider.

They say as soon as a patient or family member notices signs of persistent memory loss, it's important to bring it up with their doctor.

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Alzheimer's Disease

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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