Misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's for a Decade

Thanks to a breakthrough in how Alzheimer’s is detected early in the progression of the disease,  Ellenbogen was able to put to rest the feeling that Alzheimer's wasn't the root cause of his cognitive issues. Through his participation in a study that tested for early diagnosis using PET scan technology, Ellenbogen and his doctors discovered that Alzheimer's didn’t actually exist anywhere in his brain.

The Amyvid test, which was developed by Eli Lilly, uses a PET scan to look at the brain. The scan is able to pick-up the plaque on the brain that typically only shows up for Alzheimer’s patients. If there is no indication of plaque on the brain, then it’s pretty certain that the patient does not have the disease.