Ten percent of people over age 65 develop the memory loss and dementia that characterize Alzheimer's disease. In spite of its prevalence, there is no cure for the little-understood disease.
Alzheimer's attacks and kills brain cells in a fairly predictable pattern. The brain's memory center is the first to suffer, followed by the part of the brain that controls emotion.
Researchers say the illness kills 5 percent to 10 percent of the patient's brain cells each year, eventually resulting in disorientation and a total lack of ability to cope with everyday life.
Though the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are distinct, it has traditionally been impossible to positively identify until the patient succumbs and an autopsy can be performed.
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Tracking Alzheimer
Computers and MRI can help doctors track the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
 
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Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Queensland in Australia have used state-of-the-art technology to create the first three-dimensional moving images depicting the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
They gave a dozen volunteers with Alzheimer's disease magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans periodically over 18 months. Then, all of the images were fed into a super computer, which merged them into a basic model. Finally, the computer created an animation sequence by "morphing" one image into the next.
The result is a stunning representation of the human brain being overtaken by a wave of invading disease. Like a prairie fire, Alzheimer's disease can be seen enveloping brain cells, which turn red to signify they have been killed.
Dr. Paul Thompson, from UCLA, is a leading researcher for the project. He said the results offer clear implications for better Alzheimer's treatments in the future.
"You actually get a physical picture of how the devastation of Alzheimer's is spreading across the brain, which parts of the brain are affected, and how fast," he said.
Thompson points out a single MRI scan can identify dead brain cells. However, only the new imagery can clearly show the rate of disease progression, and even a patient's response to medication.
Doctors will soon be able to use the imagery to determine exactly how well a given drug is working, and even where in the brain it is working. Doctors will no longer have to evaluate a patient's symptoms to make such judgments.
The technology is still in the experimental stage, but Thompson insists it will not be long before the time-lapse technique can be put to practical use.
"We will urgently apply this method to reveal how drugs and vaccines combat the wave of brain damage caused by Alzheimer's disease," Thompson said.
