Researchers from King's College in London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience (IoPPN) developed a simple blood test that might detect Alzheimer's disease 3.5 years before a clinical diagnosis is established.
In the study, titled "Predicting Progression to Alzheimer's Disease With Human Hippocampal Progenitors Exposed to Serum" published in the journal Brain, researchers wrote that there are components in human blood that impact the formation of neurons from neural stem cells in the brain. The process is known as neurogenesis, which occurs in the hippocampus that regulates learning and memory.
How Can Blood Test Predict Alzheimer's Disease Risk? Scientists Looked at Changes in Neurogenesis Prior to Clinical Diagnosis
Changes in Neurogenesis Observed in Patients With Early Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease inhibits the development of new neurons in the hippocampus in its early stages. As per the New York Post, researchers collected blood samples and observed 56 patients who had been diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), where symptoms include a deterioration in memory, language, or judgment and can occasionally develop into Alzheimer's disease.
Those identified with MCI have a substantially higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those who do not, and 36 of the 56 participants in the research were later diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers in the past could only investigate neurogenesis in Alzheimer's patients after death. But the new blood test allows researchers to examine changes in neurogenesis in patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers believe they have discovered the first evidence in humans that the circulatory system of the body may affect the brain's ability to create new neurons, providing a timescale for the development of Alzheimer's.
Professor Sandrine Thuret, the lead author of the study, said that they intend to use their model to understand the process of neurogenesis and to exploit changes in this process to predict the onset of the neurodegenerative disease.
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Non-Invasive Way to Detect Alzheimer's Disease
Thuret pointed out that prior studies involving young mice found that their blood had a revitalizing impact on the consciousness of older animals by boosting hippocampus neurogenesis.
Science Daily reports that it inspired the team to recreate the process of neurogenesis in a petri dish using human neurons and human blood. They wanted to use the model to further understand neurogenesis and the disease. They discovered through their study the first evidence in humans that the circulatory system has a significant influence on the brain's ability to generate new cells.
Dr. Edina Silajdi, the study's joint first author, noted that their findings are extremely important that could help scientists predict the onset of Alzheimer's disease early through a non-invasive process. It could complement other blood-based biomarkers that show the origin of the disease, like the accumulation of amyloid and tau.
It is important to validate the findings in a larger and more diverse group, says Dr. Hunah Lee, another joint first author. They are hopeful of its potential applications as it can help stratify individuals with memory problems for a clinical trial of disease-modifying drugs for the disease.
Most importantly, it may provide a chance to better understand the changes happening in the brain during the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
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