These ‘CHANGES’ are more than just markers…
Predicting the onset of Alzheimer’s disease has always been a challenging endeavor. However, a fresh research study hints that particular blood markers could surface a decade or two prior to the appearance of symptoms, offering a possibility to identify those with a high risk of dementia.
In the research, the scientists examined over 4,800 proteins in the blood samples of more than 10,000 people aged between 45 and 65 over a period of 25 years. They were able to pinpoint 32 proteins that were correlated with a greater likelihood of developing dementia later on.
Study author Keenan Walker, a researcher in the Multimodal Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND) Unit at the U.S. National Institute on Aging, commented, “The biological changes occur outside the brain as early as middle adulthood in individuals at risk who develop dementia decades later. These changes tell us a little about the specific biological processes that may go awry early on in individuals at risk for dementia.”
The team now intends to investigate whether they can discern more proteins that may instigate brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
“We think that by identifying causally relevant proteins, we can potentially identify new therapeutic targets,” Walker added.
Although many of these markers were discovered in the brain, some were linked to tissues outside the brain, such as those tied to the immune system function and the biological activities governing protein production and function. These changes can take place at least 20 years before dementia sets in.
“Later in the disease process, the proteins involved in the coagulation system and complement signaling pathway showed evidence of dysregulation,” added Walker.
Blood clot formation is associated with Alzheimer’s disease risk. The complement signaling pathway includes proteins that form the beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain.
Besides blood markers, age is the most significant risk factor for dementia, with other elements, such as heart disease, also contributing, mentioned Walker.
The study was published in Science Translational Medicine and highlights several proteins present in the blood that can help predict the possibility of progressing to dementia in later life, according to Percy Griffin, the director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago.
“It is important to develop tools for early detection and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and other dementia before people begin to display symptoms,” added Griffin, who was not part of the study.
A single biomarker cannot definitively predict Alzheimer’s disease or any other form of dementia.
“By combining several biomarkers, we can increase our confidence in a diagnosis,” he continued, emphasizing that “While more work and validation is needed, the opportunities found in this paper could add to that suite in the future.”
The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation’s co-founder and chief science officer in New York City, Dr. Howard Fillit, also reviewed the study. He credits the groundbreaking technique of proteomics, or the large-scale study of proteins, for the advancements.
“Using this technology, researchers analyzed more than 4,800 proteins and worked their way down to a small subset that demonstrates the greatest prediction for developing Alzheimer’s disease,” Fillit stated. “Years ago, we could look at one or two proteins at a time, and now we can look at 4,800, and that is a scientific tour de force.”
He also celebrated the recent FDA approval of Leqembi (lecanemab), a disease-modifying drug that might retard the progression of Alzheimer’s by reducing amyloid plaques in the brain.
Fillit said, “Five to 15 years ago, if you said we could get rid of plaques, I would be astounded, but now we can do it, and that’s incredible. If we get rid of plaques, it seems that we can slow the disease down.”
Image Credit: Getty