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New in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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At one of the research centers of the Monell Institute, a team of specialists came to the conclusion that Alzheimer's disease can be diagnosed by the smell of urine. Experiments on laboratory rodents showed that with the development of this disease, the urine of mice acquired a special smell. Specialists are sure that simultaneously with changes in the brain, other changes occur in the body, in particular, the smell of urine changes.
Leading specialist of the project Bruce Kimbal noted that this discovery can help in research of other diseases of the brain. The discovery made by scientists will help to diagnose the disease at an early stage, before the beginning of irreversible processes - brain shrinkage and development of dementia. Early detection of Alzheimer's will significantly slow down the development of the disease, thereby improving the quality of life of patients.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of senile dementia, affecting more than 5 million people in the United States alone. The disease develops in people over 65, but despite all the advances in medicine, today it is impossible to stop the rapid progression of the disease. The only option is to learn how to detect the disease at an early stage and slow down the manifestation of severe symptoms, thereby giving time to relatives and the patient himself to prepare and plan treatment.
The results of the study were published in one of the online journals. The scientists studied rodents in their work. In Alzheimer's disease, there is an excess of amyloid plaques on the neurons of the brain, which is a characteristic feature of the disease.
The rodents were infected by introducing and activating human genes, which resulted in the rodents beginning to secrete increased β-amyloid protein and, as a consequence, the formation of plaques on neurons in the brain.
Scientists are also currently working to identify the specific urine odor that forms when the disease develops in humans. A group of specialists are currently receiving a subsidy for research in this area, which was provided by a number of institutes and foundations.
In another study, experts found that Parkinson's is caused by the secretion of a special sebaceous gland, which results in a unique smell (by the way, only people with a keen sense of smell can smell the "aroma" of Parkinson's).
Today, more than 7 million patients with this pathology have been recorded. The author of the study noted that during the work, molecules from the skin of patients diagnosed with Parkinson's will be analyzed. The goal of the study will be to identify biomarkers that will help in the development of diagnostic measures.
The work also plans to involve human resources, i.e. scientists have selected people with a unique sense of smell. The scientists plan to determine what changes in the skin are associated with the appearance of odor in Parkinson's disease.
The scientists noted that the search for new biomarkers is a unique opportunity for them, and they suggested that their work will help develop new diagnostic methods to detect the early stages of Parkinson's, before the first symptoms begin to appear.
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