Chinese scientists plan to develop a "brain database" in an attempt to identify indicators that may help in handling cerebral diseases and related disorders.

According to Poo Mu-ming, Director of the Institute of Neurosciences in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, creating a "unified general patient database" will be a great help in spotting the biomarkers of brain diseases which can be used as basis for early diagnosis and treatment.

Like Us on Facebook

"It will also be useful for scientists around the world who are involved in brain research," he added.

While only few details of the project were made public, Poo confirmed that one of its primary goals will be to find treatments for conditions such as autism and Alzheimer's disease.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. In China, around 1 million children have been affected by the condition while the number of cases tallied is still increasing globally.

This disorder affects information processing of the brain by altering how nerve cells and synapses connect and organize though how this transpires is not well understood.

Signs are usually noticed in the first two years of the child's life and signs gradually develop. Early detection and intervention can help autistic children gain self-care, social and communication skills which are necessary for them to function like normal people do.

Alzheimer's disease have claimed 50 percent of the total population aged over 85, whereas in 2050, there could be as many as 9 million seniors who in China with the condition.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and has currently no cure. Early symptoms such as short term memory loss are often mistakenly thought to be due to age or stress. The disease develops differently for every individual though as it progresses, patients show common symptoms like confusion, irritability, aggression, mood swings, trouble with language, and long-term memory loss.

Tagsbrain database, Alzheimer's Disease, Autism