Alzheimer’s disease develops years before patients show the first symptoms. The key to treating dementia would be to intervene earlier before permanent brain cell damage occurs. For this, many avenues are being explored for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Among these avenues of research, that of the blood test seems to be favored by many researchers around the world.
Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Göttingen (Germany) have identified 3 molecules present in the blood that may indicate the future onset of dementia. The discovery of these biomarkers (specific microRNAs whose presence in the blood correlates with cognitive impairment) opens up the prospect of blood tests that can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease years in advance. This work has just been published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.
This is not yet a consumer test
“Currently, the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s comes much too late to even have a chance of having an effective treatment. If the disease is detected early, the chances of positively influencing its evolution increase” emphasizes Pr André Fischer, who conducted this research. “We need tests that give an early warning. We are confident that the results of our current study pave the way for such tests.” In tests on mice but also on humans, the researchers discovered that the lower the level of these microRNAs, the better the performance obtained in cognition tests. And 90% of patients with very high blood markers developed Alzheimer’s disease within 2 years.
Although proven to be effective, the current test is too complex to be used on a large scale. the aim of the German researchers is to develop a simple low-cost test, “similar to the rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 except that one would need a drop of blood”.
Another test to follow the evolution of the disease
According to preliminary research published a few months ago in the journal Nature aging, by measuring the level of two molecules present in the plasma, researchers could predict the future progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people with mild cognitive impairment. The tests were carried out in a sample of 557 people aged 60 to 70. The presence of elevated levels of P-tau181 and NfL, the two molecules targeted by the researchers, were found to be the most accurate predictors of disease progression from mild cognitive impairment to severe memory and thinking problems. , typical of Alzheimer’s disease.
To date, blood tests are said to be 88% effective, according to researchers from Lund University, Sweden. “DDetecting the level of these two plasma biomarkers could allow doctors to follow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in certain people at risk”. It could also help doctors to distinguish people who will develop Alzheimer’s disease from those who have simple cognitive disorders due to aging.
Source:
- A microRNA signature that correlates with cognition and is a target against cognitive declineEMBO molecular medicine, October 2021
- Individualized prognosis of cognitive decline and dementia in mild cognitive impairment based on plasma biomarker combinationsNature aging, November 2020
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