Biomarkers playing important role in early detection of Alzheimer's

Biomarkers playing important role in early detection of Alzheimer's

A group of scientists in Belgium believe certain biomarkers can help with the early identification of Alzheimer's disease. Research was carried out at Ghent University in Belgium on samples from 416 individuals to discover whether a disease signature consisting of the three biomarkers could be used to accurately indicate the onset of Alzheimer's disease before the first symptoms show. It is believed that the pathogenic process can precede initial symptoms by up to 10 years.

According to a report by the Irish Medical Times, the biomarkers used as part of the research included cerebrospinal fluid beta-amyloid protein 1-42 (CSF A1-42), total CSF tau protein and CSF phosphorylated tau181P (P-Tau181P) protein concentrations. The researchers used samples of cerebrospinal fluid which is found within the ventricles in the subarachnoid space of the brain and the spinal cord.

Patients involved in the research included 102 people who had already been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, 200 people who had mild cognitive impairment and 114 older adults described as cognitively normal. The biomarker signature was found to be present in 90 per cent of individuals who had already been diagnosed as suffering from Alzheimer's disease, 72 per cent of people with mild cognitive impairment and just over one-third of patients deemed to be cognitively normal.

The researchers said their results suggest that the biomarker signature used in the tests can accurately identify people with the medical condition. In addition they said the results suggest it is indeed possible to identify the disease pathology is active in sufferers at an earlier stage than had previously been believed.

Separate research carried out in the US at the F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Centre has also shown how biomarkers are helping scientists and doctors to understand how Alzheimer's disease can be detected at an early stage. Medication is already available for sufferers of the disease to help with memory loss, a common feature of Alzheimer's, but researchers are aiming to find ways of identifying which people are at risk of the disease before symptoms start to appear. It is hoped that continued research into biomarkers will lead to early detection methods being discovered for Alzheimer's and many other diseases.

Biomarkers are playing an increasingly important role in many areas of medical research and while much more work is still to be done into cancer biomarker for example, good progress is being made all the time.

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