New Alzheimer’s Test TYM Gives Early Warning

I remember my Grandpa Stan

My grandfather died in the grip of dementia. It was never specifically diagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease, but the more I think about it, the more I think that is indeed what was happening to him. Perhaps the new Alzheimer’s test would have helped us in caring for him in the final days. If it would have required instant loans for instant cash to pay for the test, I would have obtained the money without hesitation.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder named after German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described the condition in 1906. From their Web site, Alzheimer’s

• Is a progressive and fatal brain disease. As many as 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and it is fatal. Today it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
• Is the most common form of dementia, a general term for the loss of memory and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 to 70 percent of dementia cases. Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, mixed dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia.
• Has no current cure. But treatments for symptoms, combined with the right services and support, can make life better for the millions of Americans living with Alzheimer’s. There is an accelerating worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, or prevent it from developing.

Now people can discover for themselves if they have Alzheimer’s

Dr. Ramona Bates reports for EMaxHealth that the British Medical Journal has published research on a new Alzheimer’s test that’s called “TYM.” What’s more, the test which evaluates a person’s cognitive ability can be self-administered.

What does TYM stand for? It’s really quite simple: “Test Your Memory.” So far it has only been evaluated in one clinical scenario, so it is not considered a benchmark diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease. Yet numerous researchers hold a great deal of promise that is such early screening is used to detect the onset of the disease, the proper treatment can in turn begin at an earlier stage and the patient can enjoy a better quality of life for longer.

The British Medical Journal study [Source: Self administered cognitive screening test (TYM) for detection of Alzheimer's disease: cross sectional study; Published 9 June 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2030 ( BMJ 2009;338:b2030)] included a sample of 540 people, ages 18 to 95, who “had no known history of neurological disease, memory problems or brain injury,” writes Bates. Another 139 who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment were then included. All participated in the TYM new Alzheimer’s test. Two other common cognitive tests were also used: the mini-mental state examination and the Addenbrooke’s cognitive examination-revised.

And the results?

The TYM new Alzheimer’s test asked participants to perform 10 tasks (copy a sentence, determine word meaning, math calculations and memory recall). One sample might be as follows, writes Bates:  “Name four animals with names that begin with the letter ‘S.’” Each question or task is valued at up to 50 points, so 500 total points are possible, with the higher scores being indicative of those likely to have less mental impairment.

According to the TYM study, those with no history of mental problems finished their tasks more quickly and accurately than those participants who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Average scores per question for the former group were higher – 47,  compared to 33 for the diagnosed patients.

One of the benefits noted by the British Medical Journal of the TYM new Alzheimer’s test is that it takes less time to complete than other cognitive function exams. In the clinical trial, it spotted 93 percent of those who had Alzheimer’s, whereas the mini-mental exam only identified 52 percent of them accurately. If such a wide difference in performance continues to manifest in follow-up studies, it would seem to indicate that the new Alzheimer’s test is more sensitive than previous exam models.

Helping families and care providers

Help for those close to potential Alzheimer’s patients is long overdue. If the condition can be spotted early by such tools as the TYM exam, work can begin quickly to preserve quality of life. Every human being comes into this world deserving of their dignity. If early detection and the beginning of treatment can extend the duration of this basic human right, that road must be taken. As America approaches a point where there is a larger population of seniors than at any other point in its history, simple tools like the TYM exam will become more vital to the nation’s health.

I remember my Grandpa Stan. He was a chemical engineer, soft-spoken yet impish in a very English way. He was also filled with knowledge. The man was like a father to me throughout my childhood, and I love him with all of my heart. His mind’s demise was quick and devastating for my entire family.

Once, I recorded a videotape for him in which I showed him how to use his Macintosh. He had used it every day for years, but now he no longer remembered simple things, like how to start the computer, how to open a file, and even how to use the mouse. Months after Stan passed away, I came across the video. I shouldn’t have looked at it. Sure, it could have been a catharsis, a release. Yet it continues to haunt me.

I loved my grandfather.

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