A new scanning device may hold the key to doctors being able to identify early signs of dementia, even before the disease sets in. The positron emitter tomography (PET) offers conclusive evidence about the signs that characterize the illness, but the problem with it is that only trained professionals can read and interpret them. Researchers at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, in Germany, developed a piece of software that will make it easier for non-professionals to read PET scans.

The computer program basically does the work medics do, by interpreting the various readings provided by the PET scan, based on a complex built-in algorithm. The results of the analysis are then translated into basic information, which is supplied to the operator via PC screen. "A novice supported by this system should perform at a similar level to an expert," argued Ralph Buchert, a scientist at the Center.
 

The new technique uses PET scans to measure and record brain activity levels that occur when a glucose-like substance is introduced into the bloodstream. With glucose being the main fuel of the brain, it is consumed for energy. The software analyses the rate of absorption of the placebo substance and references it against a database containing previous cases.
 

Older methods involved complicated cognitive tests, in which doctors asked sets of questions to test for signs of dementia. The problem with these techniques was that the degree at which the disease had progressed by the time the check-up was done could not be specified.
 

Hopefully, this new software will provide specialists with a much-needed tool for identifying the early signs of dementia in patients. As this disease affects the elderly mostly, rendering them incapable of using their cognitive functions to their full potential, a discovery in this field could lead to an increased quality of life for people suffering from this terrible affliction.