Dr. Heather Whitson spoke with NPR News from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Pennsylvania, about Alzheimer’s Disease discovery in blood tests.

The blood tests are meant for people who already have impaired memory and thinking. The tests show whether that individual’s brain contains amyloid plaques and tangles of a protein called tau, the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. Dr. Heather Whitson of Duke University says that some tests now rival the accuracy of costly pet scans or uncomfortable spinal taps.

Mattingly, D. (2024, July 30). New generation of blood tests can detect factors associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. NPR News.

You can listen to the full interview via the button below. Clip begins at 05:32:38.

NPR previous released a story on January 10, 2024 describing the blood tests referred to in Dr. Whitson’s interview.