More than 1.7 million Germans were affected to 2018 of dementia, most of them due to Alzheimer’s disease. Due to the increasing life expectancy this number will increase in the next few years, probably more, and an effective therapy. This is probably mainly due to the fact that previous attempts at therapy with new drug candidates, much too late.
A new blood test could help to study the disease course of Alzheimer’s disease many years before the first memory loss.
the Remains of brain cells accumulate in the blood
In search of molecules (especially proteins) that might serve as early signs of Alzheimer’s disease (biomarkers), researchers at the German center for Neurodegenerative diseases, University hospital of Tübingen and the Hertie Institute for clinical brain research, the blood samples from 405 people, of which Alzheimer’s disease occurs due to a gene already in the middle ages.
Thus, the German scientists pursue a similar approach to that of some other groups of researchers, have tried in recent years to develop early detection tests for Alzheimer’s. In contrast to them, the researchers focused on the Amyloid Protein that occurs in Alzheimer’s heaped in the brain and in the blood, but “what causes it in the brain, so the death of nerve cells,” says study leader Mathias Juncker. A Protein fragment called NfL, Neurofilament arises, among other things. It is not degraded in the blood immediately and is therefore good as a Biomarker and as a Basis for a Test.
The nerve cell loss, are signs of up to 16 years in advance to
Apparently NfL is enriched with the study participants up to 16 years before the expected onset of dementia symptoms in the blood, the researchers write in the journal “Nature Medicine”. The decisive factor is not the absolute concentration, but the temporal evolution was: In the years preceding the onset of dementia, the concentration has increased particularly strongly, after the outbreak of the disease is the rate of Change was lower.
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dementia From brain to brain
Florian Schumann
Since it also comes in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Multiple sclerosis, for the enrichment with the Filament, is the Test only limited use in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. He reflected, however, the course of the disease very accurately and allows for forecasts. The researchers impairments of memory performance, and the loss of brain mass for two years were able to estimate in advance correctly. Do the Test a “excellent tool to explore in clinical trials of new Alzheimer’s therapies,” says Juncker.
