Do we want that?
A Belgian research team has developed a formula for early detection of a certain form of dementia in the blood. However, there is currently no treatment that can delay or reduce the symptoms, so the result of the test can be very stressful for the patient.
The researchers of VIB, a non-profit scientific research institute, in collaboration with the University of Antwerp, found a formula to detect frontal lobe dementia in the blood. This form of dementia is, after Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia in people under the age of 65. For some, the first symptoms appear as early as the age of forty-five.
Decreased progranulin
Frontal lobe dementia is caused by a reduced amount of progranulin in our brain. Progranulin is a protein that serves as a growth factor for the brain. When someone has a reduced amount of progranulin in their brains, they will deteriorate.
In patients with frontal lobe dementia, it is the anterior brain and temporal lobe that are damaged. This part of the brain is responsible for language, behaviour, movement and mood.
In a first phase the patient will experience serious behavioral and personality changes, in a second phase he will also lose his memory.
As early as 2006, studies showed that some patients with frontal lobe dementia have a reduced amount of progranulin. Recent studies show that this reduced amount also plays a role in other forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s, as well as in the muscle disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
hereditary
A reduced amount of progranulin is often a hereditary fact. This mistake in the DNA has been in the family for generations.
Until now, this error could only be detected through genetic testing, which is available through a neurologist or a medical genetic counselor affiliated with a medical genetic center. Compared to the new blood test, it is more complex and takes longer.
But these blood tests are currently only available in a research lab. However, the researchers expect the test to be developed quickly by a specialist company so that it can also be tested in a clinical diagnostic laboratory.
However, this does not mean that we will be able to test everyone in the future. In the first place, the research is still too expensive to apply to everyone.
That is why the tests are currently being used on people with dementia themselves. The blood test can then be used to determine the cause of the dementia in that patient.
If it turns out that this is caused by a reduced amount of progranulin, one can also investigate the family. After all, the patient’s brothers, sisters and children are risk persons, for whom the tests can be useful.
No treatment
The family of the patient with frontal lobe dementia, caused by a reduced amount of progranulin, should be aware of the consequences of such a blood test. For example, there is currently no treatment to slow down or stop the symptoms.
Knowing that you can become demented early, without there being a treatment for it, can be very stressful for the – at the time still healthy person – very stressful.
Therefore, the tests should only be performed under proper care at a medical genetics center. Meanwhile, the team continues to search for a cure to cure the disease.
