DISCERN is a test to help your clinician determine if you have Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). DISCERN was developed by Synaps Dx and has been rigorously tested and has shown to be accurate for identifying AD in people recently diagnosed with dementia.

Brain cells, or Neurons, link with each other at connections called Synapses. This allows brain cells to communicate with each other forming a vast super network that is our brain, allowing us to think, remember, and play. Alzheimer’s disease damages these synapses causing dementia and other cognitive losses.

The damage to synapses in the brain is reflected in the health of synapses found in the skin cells. DISCERN™ works by evaluating the networks of neurons and their synapses in the skin.

No. DISCERN has been studied only in people diagnosed with dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association describes dementia as loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Your clinician can diagnose dementia through medical history, a physical exam, laboratory and cognitive tests.

DISCERN is a combination of three tests performed on the same skin sample in the lab. These tests evaluate different factors associated with changes in the networks of nerves and how they connect in your brain. Changes in nerve networks and how they connect have been shown to be related to the memory problems seen in AD. Additionally, DISCERN evaluates enzymes that regulate the formation of amyloid plaque which is usually seen in people with AD.

Amyloid plaques are proteins that are incorrectly folded and form in the spaces between nerve cells. These abnormally configured proteins are thought to play a central role in Alzheimer’s disease. The amyloid plaques first develop in the areas of the brain concerned with memory and other cognitive functions.

If you are experiencing memory decline, you should talk to your health care provider. Your health care provider can determine if the DISCERN test is right for you.

The DISCERN test may be appropriate if your healthcare professional has diagnosed you with dementia. DISCERN has not been studied in people with mild cognitive impairment or in people with a family history of AD who have not been diagnosed with dementia.

Only a health care provider can order the DISCERN test. The DISCERN test is not available everywhere and we can help you find a provider in your area who offers the DISCERN test.

A health care provider will collect a small skin sample from your forearm using a standard collection device. Your test sample will be sent to our laboratory where the tests will be performed.

The DISCERN test usually requires 8 and 10 weeks to receive the results. Once the sample is received in the lab, the skin sample taken by your clinician is grown in the lab. Some skin samples grow slower than others and it normally takes 6 weeks for the skin sample to grow enough to run the DISCERN test. During this time, your clinician will have updates available on the status of your test. Once the DISCERN tests are run on the skin sample, a report will be sent to your clinician who will discuss the findings with you.

The DISCERN™ test is new and the cost is paid for by Medicare Fee for Service. If you have Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) or private insurance, check with your insurance company as many do not yet pay for the test as Synaps Dx is currently working to establish reimbursement. Patients may be responsible for paying out-of-pocket for DISCERN if insurance does not cover it.

Synaps Dx will send a lab report with the test results to your health care provider who is best qualified to make a final diagnosis after considering your overall health and the results of other tests. This could take 8-10 weeks from the time your skin sample was taken.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive issues serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases. For more information and resources on Alzheimer’s disease, please visit Alzheimer’s Association – What is Alzheimer’s or visit our Resource tab.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Mild Cognitive impairment or MCI causes cognitive changes that are serious enough to be noticed by the person affected and by family members and friends but do not affect the individual’s ability to carry out everyday activities.

Studies show that there is variability in the progression of people with MCI, with more than half of patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment not progressing to dementia over a 10-year period.

If you or a family member are having memory issues, it is important to discuss these with your healthcare provider to determine what course of action is best.