Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas are investigating a potential new early indicator of the decline toward Alzheimer’s disease: measuring the energy metabolism of the living human brain using cutting-edge imaging techniques. “It has exciting implications for potential early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and the potential to measure disease response to treatments.”Although Alzheimer’s disease was first defined more than a century ago, treatment remains elusive. In the study, 41 participants — 15 cognitively normal, 15 with MCI and 11 with early Alzheimer’s — underwent assessment of executive function, memory, attention, visuospatial skills and language. “It is theorized that mitochondrial dysfunction occurs early in Alzheimer’s disease and that ATP and PCr are not synthesized properly. “We hope to determine if the abnormal brain energy metabolism has a relationship with the accumulation of beta-amyloid and tau,” Das said.