Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota say they have identified a new type of memory loss.
Limbic Predominant Amnesic Neurodegenerative Syndrome (LANS) affects the limbic system of the brain, which helps regulate emotions and behavior.
The syndrome is very similar to Alzheimer’s disease, but progresses less quickly and has a “good prognosis,” according to a press release from the Mayo Clinic.
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The researchers used data from more than 200 patients from the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative to develop a set of criteria that can be used to diagnose LANS.
Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota say they have identified a new type of memory loss. “This paper puts our clinical expertise into a precise framework that others can use to treat patients,” they say. (iStock)
The researchers noted that the criteria include factors such as age, brain scans, symptoms of memory loss and certain biological markers.
The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Brain Communications.
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David T. Jones, MD, a neurologist at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study, said his team sees patients with memory loss every day.
Prior to these criteria, the only way to diagnose the syndrome was to analyze brain tissue after a patient’s death.
“I’ve been treating this type of patient for over a decade and it’s clear that their symptoms are different from classic Alzheimer’s disease,” he told Fox News Digital in an email.
Limbic Predominant Amnesic Neurodegenerative Syndrome (LANS) affects the limbic system of the brain, which helps regulate emotions and behavior. (iStock)
“This paper distills our clinical expertise into a precise framework that others can use to treat their patients.”
In many cases, Jones said, “they clearly have problems with memory and they are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, but then biomarker testing and other tests show they don’t have Alzheimer’s.”
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The doctor added: “Usually the most a doctor can say is, ‘We know what you’re missing,’ but now we have the answers.”
Lead author of the paper, Dr. Nick Corriveau-Lecavalier, further explained the differences between LANS and Alzheimer’s disease in a press release:
“Usually the most a doctor can say is, ‘We know what you’re missing,’ but now we have answers.”
“Historically, when someone in their 80s had memory problems, people would assume that they might have Alzheimer’s, and that’s still often the case today,” Corriveau-Lecavalier said.
LANS is a different syndrome that develops much later in life, he noted.
“The prognosis is better than Alzheimer’s disease because symptoms are often limited to memory and do not progress to the point of affecting other areas of cognition.”
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According to the researchers, the goal is that physicians can use these findings to develop more personalized treatments for patients suffering from LANS to better manage their cognitive symptoms.
Dr. Rebecca M. Edelmeyer, senior director of scientific affairs at the Alzheimer’s Association of Chicago, responded favorably to the findings.
The syndrome is very similar to Alzheimer’s disease, but progresses less quickly and has a “good prognosis,” according to a press release from the Mayo Clinic. (iStock)
“This study demonstrates the great need to develop objective criteria for the diagnosis and staging of Alzheimer’s disease and all other types of dementia, and to create an integrated biological and clinical staging scheme that can be used effectively by physicians,” Edelmeyer, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital in an email.
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The hope is that biomarkers will eventually be able to help distinguish between types of dementia, but until then, the “clinical criteria” will help doctors provide a “more individualized approach” to care and treatment, she said.
The research was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.
