A combination of simple brain scans can help doctors differentiate between vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease, something that could help improve the treatment of people with dementia.
Using magnetic resonance imaging along with magnetic resonance spectroscopy, researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center were able to correctly identify nine out of 10 patients with vascular dementia, BBC News Online reports.
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The study appears in the journal Neurology.
Vascular dementia can be treated
Vascular dementia is caused by poor blood flow to the brain. It's sometimes brought on by stroke. People with vascular dementia are often grouped together with people who have Alzheimer's disease, meaning they don't receive the correct treatment.
There is currently no effective treatment for Alzheimer's, but vascular dementia can be treated.
"Being able to determine that there is a vascular component to a patient's dementia would make a big difference in planning for treatment," researcher Dr Norbert Schuff told BBC News Online. (HealthDayNews)
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