It would be possible to set up an early diagnosis test for Alzheimer’s disease, according to the results of a study published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports. Indeed, it could be possible to detect this neurological pathology thanks to the smell of urine. Conclusions obtained on mice.
Researchers from the Monell Center (United States) and the United States Department of Agriculture carried out a study with genetically modified mice to develop the Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers observed that before the mice triggered their illness, the smell of their urine was altered. And this unique smell was recognizable compared to that of mice in the control group.
“The signatures of urinary odors could be altered by metabolic processes associated with precursors Alzheimer’s. The differences in odors were even detectable before the onset of amyloid plaque deposition”, explains Bruce Kimball, chemical analyst and lead author of this study.
While the results of this study are encouraging, further research is needed to determine if this mode of early disease detection would be effective in humans. Early diagnosis would reduce cognitive decline.
Alzheimer’s disease in numbers
In France, according to the latest figures from the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), 860,000 people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and the number of patients should reach two million in 2020. Alzheimer’s and related diseases represent the leading cause of age-related loss of intellectual functions.
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