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New Blood Test Could Help Diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease Before Symptoms Appear
Testing a person’s blood for a certain type of protein called phosphorylated tau or p-tau could be used to screen for Alzheimer’s disease with “high accuracy” even before symptoms begin to show, a new study suggests.
Blood Test for Alzheimer's Disease
The study involved testing blood for a key marker of Alzheimer’s called p-tau217 which increases at the same time as other damaging proteins build up in the brains of people with the disease. This blood test was found to be up to 96 percent accurate in identifying elevated levels.
The study included data on 786 people who had an average age of 66 and who had brain scans and spinal taps completed, as well as blood samples collected.
Some of the participants showed signs of cognitive decline while undergoing the data collection, but others did not.
The researchers found when they tested a participant’s blood sample with the p-tau immunoassay, the blood test showed similar results and accuracies identifying abnormalities as the results from the participants’ spinal tap or brain scan.
The study was published in “JAMA Neurology.”
Alzheimer's Disease and the Brain
Alzheimer's is a brain disorder that gets worse over time. It is characterized by changes in the brain that lead to deposits of certain proteins. The disease causes the brain to shrink and brain cells to eventually die.
Brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease leads to growing trouble with:
- Changes in personality and behavior
- Making judgements and decisions: There is a decline in the ability to make sensitive decisions and judgments in everyday situations.
- Memory: Memory loss associated with the disease persists and gets worse.
- Planning and performing familiar tasks
- Thinking and reasoning: Alzheimer's disease causes difficulty concentrating and thinking, especially with abstract concepts.
About 6.5 million people in the United States age 65 and older live with Alzheimer's.
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This entry was posted on January 31st, 2024 at 01:00:00 pm by BlogMe@iaatpa.net (IAA) and is filed under Alzheimer's Disease, Blood Test.