new delhi the use of plasma biomarkers can be a gamechanger in the detection of alzheimers disease and help prevent further development of dementia according to experts from aiimsat present a person has to undergo pet ct and mri scans while being tested for alzheimers and dementia in plasma biomarkers blood samples are taken tests are conducted and based on the results one can narrow down suspected casesdr anu gupta assistant professor department of neurology aiims said till now to ascertain if alzheimers is leading to dementia we had to do advanced pet scans that involved injecting radiotrenchers and radiation exposure there is also cerebrospinal fluid examination which is done to look at white blood cells bacteria and other substances this leads to abnormal changes in protein ratio she saidthe doctor said plasma biomarkers are coming up in a big way now essentially biomarkers or biological markers are devices used to evaluate biological molecules found in the blood body fluids or tissues that can point to an abnormal condition or disease a biomarker can be used to see how well the body responds to a treatmentthere are now genetic markers as well which are especially useful if there is any family history of alzheimers one should even try to detect if there is a possibility to develop the disease in the future which can help prevent the onset of dementia said dr mv padma neurologist aiimsalzheimers is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink atrophy and its cells to die the disease is the most common cause of dementia a continuous decline in thinking and behavioural and social skills that affects ones ability to function independently early symptoms include forgetting recent events or conversationsas alzheimers disease progresses people can develop severe memory impairment and lose the ability to carry out everyday tasks there is no treatment that cures the disease or alters the process in the brain plasma biomarkers are still in research mode and yet to get clinical approval but we will have these soon for clinical tests they take less time too the cost of the technique is yet to be estimated said gupta