New Alzheimer's biomarker

Scientists have found a way to predict dementia 7 years before it begins

Anastasia Romanova, "Doctor Peter"

Researchers at the National University of Ireland in Galway and Boston University have identified a blood biomarker that can identify people at high risk of developing dementia. And even a few years before the appearance of the first symptoms. They have increased blood levels of the protein P-tau181, associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. According to scientists, this method can potentially be used for screening among middle-aged and older people to identify the risk of developing dementia.

Article by McGrath et al. Blood Phosphorylated Tau 181 as a Biomarker for Amyloid Burden on Brain PET in Cognitively Healthy Adults is published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease – VM.

The authors measured the levels of this protein and two other biomarkers in the blood of 52 adults who by that time had no cognitive impairment. After an average of 7 years, all of them underwent a specialized PET scan of the brain. Comparison of the results showed that an increased level of P-tau181 in the blood was associated with a large accumulation of beta-amyloid (considered the main cause of Alzheimer's disease) in the brain. According to two other biomarkers, scientists did not notice such a strong connection with beta-amyloid when scanning the brain.

According to the researchers, measuring the level of P-tau181 protein in the blood can be used not only for screening the population, but also for clinical trials of new treatments for dementia at the earliest stages, when chances are high to prevent the progression of the disease.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru