JERUSALEM, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have developed a new method for early and rapid diagnosis of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, as well as psychiatric diseases, Ben-Gurion University (BGU) in southern Israel said on Wednesday.
The new technology, developed in a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, could lead to improved personal treatments and help evaluate the efficacy of new drugs, BGU noted.
The method diagnoses changes in blood vessels in the brain, which can cause degenerative diseases of the nervous system such as Alzheimer's, as well as neurological and psychiatric conditions, including epilepsy, head injuries, and stroke.
The new method is based on the analysis of EEG patterns, using unique algorithms, as EEG is an available inexpensive recording method that measures electrical activity in the cerebral cortex.
Thus, the team demonstrated that in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and other brain diseases, abnormal activity patterns can be identified by EEG.
"We have seen specific patterns in EEG records of Alzheimer's and epilepsy patients, which can be used to diagnose and monitor the course of the disease and the success of treatment," the researchers concluded.
