Here is a press release from Huntington Medical Research Institutes.   New Method For Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease Discovered at Huntington Medical Research Institutes: Results to Be Reported  To: National Desk, Health Writer  Contact: John Lockhart or Belinda Gerber, 310-444-7000, or           800-522-8877, for the Huntington Medical Research           Institutes.     LOS ANGELES, April 28  -- A new method for diagnosing  and measuring chemical imbalances in the brain which lead to Alzheimer's disease and other dementias has been discovered by researchers at the Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI) in Pasadena, Calif.  Results of their research will be reported in the May issue of the scientific journal, Radiology.    Using an advanced form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) called magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), a research team led by Brian D. Ross, M.D., D. Phil., conducted a study on 21 elderly patients who were believed to be suffering from some form of dementia. The exams used standard MRI equipment fitted with special software developed at HMRI called Clinical Proton MRS.  Clinical Proton MRS is easily applied, giving doctors confirmatory diagnoses in less than 30 minutes.  An automated version of Clinical Proton MRS called Proton Brain Examination (PROBE) reduces the examination time yet further, providing confirmatory diagnoses in less than 10 minutes.  By comparison, the current "standard of care" in testing for Alzheimer's disease calls for lengthy memory function and neuropsychological tests, which can be very upsetting to the patient, are not definitive and can only be confirmed by autopsy.    In addition to Alzheimer's disease, the new Clinical Proton MRS exam may have applications in diagnosing other dementias, including AIDS-related dementia, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease.    "We've developed a simple test which can be administered quickly and relatively inexpensively using existing MRI equipment fitted with either the MRS or PROBE software," said Dr. Ross, adding, "this will help physicians to diagnose Alzheimer's earlier and intervene with therapeutics before the progression of the disease causes further damage to the delicate inner workings of the brain."    Dr. Ross and his HMRI team measured a family of chemicals in the brain known as inositols, and myo-inositol (MI) acted as a marker in the study.  In comparison to healthy patients, those diagnosed with Alzheimer's showed a 22 percent increase in MI, while their level of another chemical called N-acetylaspartate (NAA) was significantly lower, indicating a loss of brain-stimulating neurons believed to be associated with the progression of the disease.    Current drug therapy for Alzheimer's disease is widely considered to be inadequate.  This is attributable, Dr. Ross believes, to the theory that Alzheimer's is caused by an interruption in the transmission of the chemical acetylcholine to the nerve cells. This belief has been adhered to over the last 15 years, and consequently, most drugs to treat Alzheimer's were based on the changing receptors for acetylcholine.    "Physicians have a real need for a test to differentiate Alzheimer's from other dementias, to provide the patient and his or her family with a firm diagnosis and to monitor future treatment protocols for the treatment of this disease.  For this reason, we consider this test a major advancement in medicine," said Bruce Miller, M.D., a noted neurologist at Harbor-UCLA, MRS researcher and a co-author of the study.    Other members of the HMRI research team included Rex A. Moats, Ph.D., Truda Shonk, B.S., Thomas Ernst, Ph.D., and Suzanne Woolley, R.N.  The PROBE software can be fitted on the approximately 1,200 General Electric MRI units currently in use in the United States, and will be configured for other manufacturers' MRI units soon.    For interviews with Dr. Ross, advance copies of the Radiology May issue, and other information, please contact John Lockhart or Belinda Gerber for HMRI at 310-444-7000 or 800-522-8877.     Q & A on Alzheimer's Disease:     What is Alzheimer's disease and how is it caused?    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an incurable degenerative disease of the brain first described in 1906 by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer.  As the disease progresses, it leads to loss of memory and mental functioning, followed by changes in personality, loss of control of bodily functions, and, eventually, death.    How many people does it affect?    Alzheimer's disease affects an estimated 4 million adults in the United States and is the fourth leading cause of death, taking approximately 100,000 lives each year.  While Alzheimer's debilitates its victims, it is equally devastating, both emotionally and financially, for patients' families.  AD is the most common cause of dementia in adults.  Symptoms worsen every year, and death usually occurs within 10 years of initial onset.    What are its signs and symptoms?    Although the cause of AD is not known, two risk factors have been identified: advanced age and genetic predisposition.  The risk of developing AD is less than one percent before the age of 50 yars old, but increases steeply in each successive decade of life to reach 30 percent by the age of 90.  In patients with familial AD, immediate family relatives have a 50 percent chance of developing AD.  One of its first symptoms is severe "forgetfulness" caused by short-term memory loss.  Dr. Herman Weinreb of the School of Medicine at New York University says "whether forgetfulness is a serious symptom or not is largely a matter of degree" and suggests the following criteria:     -- Forgetting the name of someone you see infrequently is       normal.    -- Forgetting the name of a loved one is serious.    -- Forgetting where you left your keys is normal.    -- Forgetting how to get home is serious.     Doctors suggest that people with severe symptoms should be evaluated in order to rule out Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.  -30-