Citizens Memorial Hospital | Vitality | Spring 2018

12 VITALITY Spring 2018 COMMUNITY Sally Grant* is in her early 70s and considers herself to be healthy and active. Although Grant did not have any notable memory issues, her husband suggested that she might get screened, given that her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and died in his 90s. Grant talked to her primary care physician and had a neuropsychological evaluation, which suggested early Alzheimer’s disease. “I called the Alzheimer’s Association in Springfield for names of doctors, and they referred me to Dr. Schreiber a few months later.” IDEAS STUDY Curtis Schreiber, M.D., medical director of the Missouri Memory Center in Bolivar, is a board certified neurologist in practice at CMH Neurology Clinic and Missouri Memory Center. In 2017, Dr. Schreiber and the CMH radiology department participated as registered dementia specialist sites in the Imaging Dementia—Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) Study. Ending on Dec. 7, 2017, the research study enrolled 20,000 patients across the country—40 of them enrolled at the Missouri Memory Center. The study included eligible Medicare patients to determine the clinical usefulness of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of brain amyloid deposits in the diagnosis of patients who are being evaluated for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. “People with Alzheimer’s have an accumulation of amyloid protein in their brain,” says Dr. Schreiber. “Until recently, the only way to positively determine if a patient had Alzheimer’s disease was to look at the patient’s brain under the microscope at autopsy after they had died.” The current method of diagnosing patients with Alzheimer’s is the process of clinical history and physical exam, cognitive assessments, routine brain scans, and the process of elimination. Through the IDEAS study, PET scans allow doctors to detect amyloid deposits in the brain while the patient is still living. Early results of the study suggest this tool could be significant when it comes to diagnosing Alzheimer’s. “Amyloid PET imaging is a scientific breakthrough for assisting doctors in the diagnosis challenging dementia cases,” says Dr. Schreiber. NO OBVIOUS SYMPTOMS Grant participated in the IDEAS study, and Dr. Schreiber shared the results with her and her husband on Aug. 3, 2017. Her scan was positive for the accumulation of amyloid protein in her brain, which strongly supports the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. “At first, I was very shocked and could not believe it was real, because I didn’t have obvious symptoms. I never had lost my car keys, never messed up the bills and never lost my car in a parking lot,” says Grant. The results of the PET scan made it more real for Grant. “I was very surprised and upset. It still seems unbelievable. Initially, I felt very sad and scared because I did not know how the disease will progress and how it will affect me and my family,” she says. She spoke candidly with her family about her diagnosis. “My family responded in a supportive way and asked questions,” says Grant. Dr. Schreiber says this early diagnosis is a golden opportunity for Grant to make proactive health- related choices. That golden opportunity means: » » Knowing what is going on and getting diagnosed earlier (most patients usually wait too long). » » Starting standard, FDA-approved treatments, which may help the symptoms. » » Considering participation in a clinical research trial. A patient’s journey DIAGNOSIS: ALZHEIMER’S For more information or to make an appointment with Dr. Schreiber at the CMH Neurology Clinic or Missouri Memory Center, call 417-327-3530 . AGING