Alzheimer's disease can be predicted 20 years before its development
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Researchers from the Banner Institute in Arizona, USA, found that biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease can be detected twenty years before the onset of the disease and the appearance of the first symptoms. Experts say that biomarkers of the disease are in the brain in people predisposed to early dementia.
The authors say that their findings can give scientists an idea of how and why Alzheimer's disease progresses. They add that this can lead to early detection of the signs of the disease, and also will help make preventive treatment more effective.
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The study was conducted on a group of young Colombians, carriers of a genetic mutation, and the study was conducted in the preclinical phase of the disease.
Of the 44 participants aged 18 to 26 years, 20 people were carriers of the mutation PSEN1 E280A, which led to the onset of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 40 years compared with 75 years - the age typical for this disease.
With the help of computer and magnetic resonance imaging, the functioning of the brain, the state of the tissues, and the cognitive processes of the subjects were subjected to careful analysis. The experts also performed spinal puncture.
As a result of a detailed analysis, scientists found that both groups of subjects had almost no differences in cognitive abilities, as well as the passage of neuropsychological tests. The group, whose participants were carriers of the mutation, observed significant differences in the amount of gray matter in its parietal lobe - it was smaller, and also the functioning of certain areas of the brain was different.
In the blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid carriers of PSEN1 E280A, a higher concentration of pathological beta-amyloid protein, which is characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, was recorded. The accumulation of this protein in neurons of the brain is a condition for the development of symptoms of the disease.
Dr. Eric Rayman, one of the authors of the study, notes that the results suggest that changes in the brain begin long before the clinical manifestations of dementia. This should be taken into account when searching for effective therapeutic methods.
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