Does an MRI scan show if someone has alzheimers

[travelling light]

Hello,

I'm really concerned about my mum who is 70 years old. She lives abroad with my stepdad so I don't see her as often as I would like to. In June 2016 she was involved in a car crash and my step father is saying that before the crash she had a test and they said that she 'might' have early onset of dementia. She had the crash and when I went to see her 6 months ago I noticed a massive change in her. I would ask her a question like 'where's the vacuum cleaner' or 'what time are we leaving to go to such and such' and she would very quickly respond ' i don't know, ask your dad' this was the answer she came out with to almost every question I asked her. My dad came across to the UK a couple of months later alone and I spoke with him about my concerns, He says it's all related to the trauma following the accident. I found out that while he was here she had spent most of the week without TV as she couldn't remember how to work the remote control and she turned up for bingo on the wrong day. She came over to see me a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately her cabin bag didn't make it onto the flight, She blamed the airline but I think she simply forgot it and it was left in the departure lounge. I was horrified at the decline in her memory. She thought she'd lost her Kindle, she hadn't, she didn't bring it with her. On day two she said we needed to go shopping for underwear, completely forgetting that we had bought some the day before. What I did notice is she's perfectly capable of spending money on clothes in M&S! But when we got home she kept picking up the two pairs of trousers and folding them up, unfolding them and re-folding them repeatedly. She also repeatedly took her passport out of her handbag and would flick through the pages. As we had to get her replacement medication I noticed that none of the tablets are to treat this disease. I've spoken with my step father and he is adamant that her memory loss is due to the accident and has no plans to have her re-tested for a formal diagnosis. They are both back in the UK early next year. I really want her to be tested - how can I talk my dad round to agreeing for the need for the test?

 

[Soobee]

Hello travelling light, and welcome to Talking Point.

It does sound like your mum has memory loss but it may or may not be caused by dementia. I am not able to answer your question properly as I'm not medical but I'm not sure whether scans would show new versus old problems (certainly haven't done in my secondhand experience) so a scan may just indicate there's damage or shrinkage in a certain place, not what caused it or when.

Sometimes if you're with someone every day you don't notice the gradual decline in their abilities, and a lot of people mask them well. I am not sure how you can encourage your dad to get your mum tested. Have you been able to talk to him directly about what you've noticed or does he close down or divert the conversation? He may not want to admit there is something wrong until he absolutely has to. My dad didn't mention mum's problems until he couldn't cope any more.

I hope that your dad comes round to your way of thinking soon.

 

[Kevinl]

In a word, no, Alzheimer's has become an umbrella term for a number of conditions some of which may the likelihood of which can be confirmed by an MRI scan, many of which can't.
my wife had 2 MRI scans and a SPECT scan and all they could give was a diagnosis of £ mixed, atypical Alzheimer's", possibly/probably Vascular Dementia with some AZ thrown in at 55years old, so not too much help.
Some types of AZ can only be confirmed after death and not everyone who has the marker signs gets the disease and people without them sometimes do.
There are things like PCA which can be seen on a scan and measured but that's one of the degenerative types of AZ that is a physically measurable.
As well as going down the AZ route it is important to get medical advice as things like thyroid problems and deficiencies of certain vitamins can give similar symptoms..
Forgot to add, welcome to TP.
K

 

[marionq]

When my husband had his first MRI scan the consultant showed me where the beta amyloid coverings of the brain cells were and said this was typical of Alzheimer's. Other dementias may appear differently on a scan and of course brain damage due to an accident would also likely have a specific look. But as we are always told it is only when a postmortem is done that they can be absolutely certain where and what damage is done to the brain.

Behaviour is therefore used as the best indicator of dementia and since that also is inconsistent you cannot be 100% confident.

I have to say that my husband seems to follow all the classic behaviours eg short term memory loss, poor judgement, lack of logic, epic wandering in his case etc.

 

[karaokePete]

Would your dad agree to the further testing on the basis that he had said that your mum was already said to be borderline before the crash and that if Alzheimer's is now present there is medication that may help your mum. Incidents like accidents or infections can cause a worsening of dementia and your dad may be confusing this with the actual onset. Medication can sometimes slow the progression of the disease and your dad may be keen for that to happen as it may lessen the burden that may well befall him for a few years yet.
My wife was first put through various blood, cognitive, memory etc., tests and diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment(MCI) and given two pills which helped her underlying depression and anxiety(think about your mums 'playing' with the passport etc). After that MRI and CT scans showed vascular damage and she was given a diagnosis of possible Alzheimer's and Vascular Dementia for which she was given another drug. A PET scan then showed shrinkage in two specific areas of the brain and a Diagnosis of Alzheimer's was confirmed and a further drug added to her medication. The drugs are specific to the diagnosis and they have helped in her daily functioning, although language, memory and cognitive problems remain as the pills don't actually cure the disease. As has been pointed out 100% confirmation of the disease can only be done post mortem, but the tests, scans and interviews will give the experts a fairly good idea.

I hope you can follow that rambling thread. Welcome to TP and the best of luck to you and your family as you try to get something done.

 

[travelling light]

Thanks everyone.... they're both over in the UK again at the end of January and I will be able to see for myself if there's any change but definitely discuss with dad in more detail. I don't think further tests would do any harm ..... dad's an ex ARMY medic so at least with information from this site I can at least speak with some knowledge.

 

[PJ]

In a word, no, Alzheimer's has become an umbrella term for a number of conditions some of which may the likelihood of which can be confirmed by an MRI scan, many of which can't.
my wife had 2 MRI scans and a SPECT scan and all they could give was a diagnosis of £ mixed, atypical Alzheimer's", possibly/probably Vascular Dementia with some AZ thrown in at 55years old, so not too much help.
Some types of AZ can only be confirmed after death and not everyone who has the marker signs gets the disease and people without them sometimes do.
There are things like PCA which can be seen on a scan and measured but that's one of the degenerative types of AZ that is a physically measurable.
As well as going down the AZ route it is important to get medical advice as things like thyroid problems and deficiencies of certain vitamins can give similar symptoms..
Forgot to add, welcome to TP.
K

 

[PJ]

Hi, I hope you don’t mind me asking but what sort of symptoms has your wife had & for how long?
Only I’ve had memory problems over the past 18mths & am under the memory clinic. I’ve had 2 CT scans over the past year & am now being referred for a SPECT scan, which is never heard of & a driving assessment along with some more written tests at the memory clinic.
I just don’t know what to make of it all & feel quite scared now.
My main question is can someone really know if they have dementia?
Thank you

 

[Spamar]

My OH knew something was wrong. As both his father and sister had had Alzheimer’s, he assumed he had as well, though it turned out he also had vascular dementia.
He made, what to me, were some inexplicable decisions. But, thinking he had dementia, they were entirely understandable. We didn’t seek immediate diagnosis as we were moving house. No point in getting everything sorted at one place, then moving 200 miles away! In the event we only moved 20 miles. Even so, different centres, different doctors, different LA. He still scored 29 on MMSE.

 

[canary]

Dont be afraid @PJ My OH had a SPECT scan and it is OK. It takes longer than an MRI, but it isnt noisy. The main difference is that you are injected with a very mildly radioactive substance - it doesnt cause any problems and will go after a couple of days, but OH had to carry a letter saying what he had had, just in case a sensor at a railway station (or similar) picked him up!

 

[PJ]

Thank you both for your replies. I guess the truth is only time will tell.
At least I know what to expect with the scan now too.
Your help is very much appreciated x