Advances in Raman spectroscopy for the diagnosis of alzheimer's disease

This research demonstrates the potential role of Raman spectroscopy, combined with principle components analysis (PCA), as a diagnostic method. Analyses of ethically approved ex vivo post-mortem brain tissues (originating from frontal and occipital lobes) from control (3 normal elderly subjects and 3 Huntingdon's disease subjects) and Alzheimer's disease (12 subjects) brain sections, and a further set of 12 blinded samples are presented. Spectra originating from these tissues are highly reproducible, and initial results indicate a vital difference in protein content and conformation, relating to the abnormally high levels of aggregated proteins in the diseased tissues. Further examination of these spectra using PCA allows for the separation of control from diseased tissues. The validation of the PCA models using blinded samples also displays promise for the identification of Alzheimer's disease, in conjunction with secondary information regarding other brain diseases and dementias. These results provide a route for Raman spectroscopy as a possible non-invasive, non-destructive tool for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.