Can Seniors Handle Results of Alzheimer's Risk Tests?

A study in JAMA Neurology sought to assess seniors' ability to handle outcomes on Alzheimer's risk tests, according to U.S. News & World Report . The study involved more than 1,700 people 65 to 85 recruited to detect elevated levels of amyloid plaques before becoming symptomatic of Alzheimer's disease. All underwent positron emission scanning and then were informed of the results, with nearly 1,200 exhibiting elevated amyloid. Author Joshua Grill at the University of California, Irvine's Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders emphasized the importance of this news coming from people who are suitably trained. "We have to share this information in a safe way, explaining what we understand and what we don't yet know about elevated amyloid and the increased risk of the coming years," he noted. When study volunteers returned to complete a series of psychological tests, the researchers observed no significant increases in depression, anxiety, or suicidal thinking between the groups with and without extra amyloid.