<body><div> A NEW laser test can detect dementia within seconds, years before symptoms appear, according to scientists. Researchers from the University Hospital Southampton and the University of Southampton hope the groundbreaking new technology will be rolled out in GP surgeries. <figure class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_12691390"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1lm2uG_0wAHdfaY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1lm2uG_0wAHdfaY00" width="960" height="640" ><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The new test could offer early diagnosis </figcaption> PA </figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> Initial trials have shown it can detect Alzheimer’s disease with an average accuracy of more than 93 per cent, they added. The new technology, called Multi-excitation Raman spectroscopy (MX-Raman), uses laser beams to analyse a single drop of a bodily fluid – this can be blood, spinal fluid or mucus. The light allows scientists to examine and look for changes in the proteins, lipids, sugars and other biomolecules. Professor Chris Kipps, consultant neurologist at University Hospital Southampton, said the technique represents “a breakthrough in medical technology” and could “change the way we approach dementia diagnosis”. He added: “This innovation is not just a leap in healthcare quality; it’s a paradigm shift, redefining our approach to neurodegenerative disease in the clinic.” <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> Dementia, a group of conditions that compromise the brain and rob sufferers of their memories and independence, is on the rise. More than 850,000 people are living with dementia in the UK, with numbers expected to hit 1.4million by 2040. There are many different types of the condition, such as Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, which is progressive and gets worse over time. Diagnosing dementia can take up to two years with current diagnostic tools, which can include brain scans and <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/health/8546831/brain-test-memory-age/" rel="nofollow"> memory tests </a> . The researchers said many people do not receive a diagnosis until a much later stage in the disease, when treatment options are less effective. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> They said one of the main challenges is distinguishing between closely related dementia types. The hope is that MX-Raman will create what the researchers call a “biochemical fingerprint” of a person to help pinpoint the type of dementia. Professor Sumeet Mahajan, professor of molecular biophotonics and imaging at the University of Southampton, said: “Our integrated approach has the potential to revolutionise dementia diagnostics. “There is an urgent unmet clinical need for more discriminatory, efficient and cost-effective solutions. “Our holistic MX-Raman technique is uniquely equipped to address these challenges and we want to see this technology lead to vastly improved patient outcomes.” <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> The test will go through further development over the next couple of years, before entering clinical trials. The aim is to develop something that could be made available to patients in a clinic or GP practice, the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ced07900j4yo" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> BBC has </a><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ced07900j4yo" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ced07900j4yo" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> reported </a> . <figure class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_undefined"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1N5WA8_0wAHdfaY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1N5WA8_0wAHdfaY00" width="778" height="960" ><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">There are a range of cheap, surprising lifestyle changes you can make to prevent dementia before it strikes </figcaption></figure><h3 class="article-boxout__headline"> Other major Alzheimer's breakthroughs </h3><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3d6MS4_0wAHdfaY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3d6MS4_0wAHdfaY00" width="620" height="413" ><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> While experts have warned that dementia diagnoses in England have reached record numbers, there have been a number of recent advances against the brain-robbing diseases. From “game-changing” drugs gaining approval to blood tests that can spot the condition years before symptoms, here are other major Alzheimer’s breakthroughs: <ul><li> A “game-changing” Alzheimer’s drug called <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/health/8050656/new-alzheimers-drug-donanemab-treatment-clare-oreilly/" rel="nofollow"> donanemab </a> , that slows mental decline by up to 60 per cent <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/health/11795925/alzheimers-drug-donanemab-kisunla-approved-us-uk-decision/" rel="nofollow"> has been approved </a> in some parts of the world. </li><li> A blood test that detects Alzheimer’s up to 15 years before symptoms emerge is set to be made <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/health/11588092/blood-test-spot-alzheimers-years-before-symptoms-nhs-free/" rel="nofollow"> free on the NHS within a year </a> . The new test is cheaper, easier and at least as accurate as the current diagnosis options and works by measuring levels of a protein in the blood called p-tau217. </li><li> Researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind test that could predict dementia <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/health/11553804/test-predict-dementia-years-before-diagnosis/" rel="nofollow"> up to nine years before a diagnosis </a> , with 80 per cent accuracy. It involves analysing network of connections in the <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/health/7174591/simple-online-brain-test-risk-dementia-signs/" rel="nofollow"> brain </a> when it’s in “idle mode” to look for very early signs of the condition. </li><li> Scientists have also put AI to the test, developing machine learning models were able to spot early warning signs of the memory-robbing condition <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/health/10800023/ai-machine-learn-predict-alzheimers-dementia/" rel="nofollow"> up to seven years before Alzheimer’s symptoms appear. </a></li><li> A woman who has evaded Alzheimer’s disease despite half her relatives getting it could <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/health/9842455/woman-clues-alzheimers-dementia-cure/" rel="nofollow"> hold the clues to how to prevent it </a> , with scientists pinpointing a particular gene which they think could help prevent&nbsp;Alzheimer’s&nbsp;from progressing. </li></ul><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate></div></body>

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A NEW laser test can detect dementia within seconds, years before symptoms appear, according to scientists. Researchers from the University Hospital Southampton and the University of Southampton hope the groundbreaking new technology will be rolled out in GP surgeries. Initial trials have shown it can detect Alzheimer’s disease with an average accuracy of more than […]