Scientist in Japan have found out a method to detect the amyloid plaques in the brain of living mice using MRI scanners with the help of a new Flourine tracer. Currently the standard way to detect the amyloid plaques of this disease is by autopsy i.e. after death. This raises the possibility that people without overt symptoms may be diagnosed and treated before the disease has manifested itself.

Amyloid plaques are insoluble proteins clumps in the brain which form early in Alzheimer's  disease and can precede by many years the actual development of dementia. If the disease can be identified before the irreversible neuron loss has taken place in the brain and in a stage when the person is asymptomatic, there is possibility of treating  this disease or slowing its progression.

This new tracer has been developed by Takaomi Saido and his team at Riken Brain  Science Institute in Wako, Japan.  This non-toxic tracer attaches itself to the amyloid plaques in the brain and can be detected by regular MRI. The tracer is made from a form of fluorine that is a common additive in drinking water.  

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