Using 3-D Imaging to Study Alzheimer's Disease

For the first time ever, scientists can now produce three-dimensional images of plaque, the blobs of "garbage" that clog the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. Previously, the plaque could only be studied after the brain tissue was cut out, sliced, and placed under a microscope. The new technology, developed at Duke University Medical Center, combines computers with high-resolution magnetic resonance microscopy, called M-R-M, meaning the brain tissue can be studied as living tissue without requiring invasive surgery. Dr. Helene Benveniste, a Duke anesthesiologist and radiologist, says researchers have had great success studying Alzheimer's plaque in specially bred mice, to map the progression of the development of the plaque.

"The goal that we have is to be able to visualize when the plaques are actually developing in the mice. And when the plaque load gets so huge or you could say gets so dominant that it will affect cognitive behavior."

Benveniste says the new technique may also help scientists determine if the plaque causes the mental impairments associated with Alzheimer's disease, or if it is merely a by-product of the disease itself. I'm Tom Britt.