A new blood test could be the key to diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease before the condition becomes debilitating.
Neuroscientists from New York University collected and analyzed blood samples from 125 subjects for acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) and free carnitine, two markers essential for brain function.
These substances help provide cells with energy and regulate glutamate, which is involved in most brain activities.
When levels of ALC and free carnitine drop, brain function follows suit. Additionally, reduced levels can lead to excess glutamate in the brain, which has been linked to mental disorders closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
The levels of these markers were found to decline gradually, especially in women, from people with no signs of memory problems or slowed thinking to those with early signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Scientists involved in the study said the blood test could allow doctors to more easily detect, monitor and treat the disease.
Currently, there is no way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease or track the effectiveness of treatments. Patients must undergo rigorous clinical and laboratory tests, but because blood tests are non-invasive, this could be a more accessible way to detect the disease and monitor the effectiveness of new drug therapies.
Study leader Dr. Betty Bigio said the findings “provide the strongest evidence” that the concentrations of these compounds could help identify people who have Alzheimer’s disease or are at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
However, researchers emphasize that more research is needed to reveal the sources of ALC and free carnitine and the processes involved in their production, and to figure out exactly how they are linked to cognitive decline.
Blood tests are non-invasive and could be a more accessible way to monitor the potential efficacy of new treatments (stock image)
Your browser does not support iframes.
About four percent of all adults age 65 and older have been diagnosed with dementia in the U.S. – with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common form of dementia, diagnosed in nearly 7 million Americans.
And as the aging U.S. population continues to grow, so will diagnoses. By 2050, the number of Alzheimer’s patients is expected to rise to almost 13 million.
The studyThe study, published this week in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, involved 125 people from two separate studies conducted in Brazil and California.
Ninety-three people had been diagnosed with varying degrees of cognitive impairment, and 32 study participants were cognitively healthy.
Although the root cause of dementia is still debated, scientists believe the disease is likely the result of an abnormal buildup of dementia. proteins – amyloid and tau – in and around brain cells.
In Alzheimer’s patients, amyloid proteins are not effectively removed from the body and eventually form plaques in the brain.
Additional, TAu proteins detach from neurons and form tangles, causing neurons to die.
When neurons die, messages cannot be delivered as effectively by the brain, which scientists believe is the cause of the thinking problems in dementia.
The above graph shows the estimated projection of Alzheimer’s disease patients in the US through 2060.
Using a combination of the measurements of ALC and free carnitine along with amyloid and tau protein levels, researchers were able to diagnose Alzheimer’s patients with 93 percent accuracy.
This is an increase over the 80 percent accuracy when using only the blood markers or proteins.
Senior researcher Dr. Carla Nasca said that because the decline in ALC and free carnitine closely corresponded to the severity of Alzheimer’s disease, the processes involved in its production could offer potential therapies “to determine the cause of the disease and possibly in before permanent brain damage occurs’. occurs.’
Although the current study found that the levels of the two markers could indicate the presence and extent of Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Nasca said more research is needed to discover the sources of ALC and free carnitine, as well as how these may relate to dementia.