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Breakthrough Blood Test Finds Symptom-Free Dementia with 100% Accuracy%
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
The new test is aimed at evaluating the only biomarker in the blood, which turned out to be informative for the accurate diagnosis of thirteen neurodegenerative diseases. This opens up fundamentally new opportunities for the simple and rapid identification of neurological problems associated with neurodegeneration.
Article by Ashton et al. A multicentre validation study of the diagnostic value of plasma neurofilament light is published in the journal Nature Communications – VM.
The team from King's College London and Lund University proved for the first time that the only biomarker in the blood is the proteins of the light chains of neurofilaments (NfL) – can accurately indicate neurodegeneration in a patient without other unambiguous symptoms. For example, memory problems and impaired concentration in old age are often attributed to depression, but now the test will be able to accurately distinguish it from dementia and other diseases.
The NfL indicator in the blood was informative for 13 different neurodegenerative diseases: several types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.
The accuracy of the test ranged from 90% to 100%, depending on the type of disease for all age groups. It is noteworthy that even a low concentration of NfL was enough for the correct result.
After studying 3138 blood images, scientists have developed reference threshold values of NfL by age, which allow us to accurately judge the presence of neurodegeneration without characteristic symptoms.
The highest levels of NfL in the blood were in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Down syndrome. And although the test cannot accurately differentiate the type of disease, the result will indicate a specific group of disorders, after which doctors will be able to examine a patient with a diagnosed pathology more purposefully.
It is important to note that the test could accurately distinguish people with depression from people with neurodegeneration. Both diseases at an early stage can manifest similar signs – problems with memory and concentration, as well as mental disorders.
The test offers an affordable alternative to the complex and expensive instrumental diagnostics currently used by doctors – PET brain scanning, puncture for the collection of cerebrospinal fluid and other methods. A simple blood test will make it easy to conduct large-scale screenings for the elderly in order to detect signs of neurodegeneration in the early stages.
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