Alzheimer’s Blood Test Could ‘Revolutionize’ Diagnosis And Other Info
Researchers in the United Kingdom want to revolutionize the way Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed by using a blood test that detects the harmful proteins associated with the condition.
Professors at the University College London (UCL) launched a clinical trial to investigate whether a blood test that measures the protein p-tau217 can provide an early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
Scientists believe that tau and amyloid are two key proteins that disrupt the communication between cells in the brain, which may lead to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The p-tau217 protein shows the presence of both amyloid and tau in the brain.
Previously, the only way to confirm Alzheimer’s disease was through PET brain scans and lumbar punctures to extract cerebrospinal fluid. While these tests are considered the “gold standard” to confirm Alzheimer’s, they are not part of routine Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and only two percent of patients ever receive them.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. The progressive brain disorder leads to loss of thinking and reasoning skills, memory loss, quality of life, and ultimately death.
The UCL researchers believe the blood test will improve the accuracy of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease from 70 percent to more than 90 percent.
Half of the participants in the ADAPT (Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis and Plasma pTau217) clinical trial will receive their blood test results within three months, while the remaining participants will get theirs after 12 months.
The ADAPT research team aims to determine whether providing results earlier will expedite diagnosis, inform decisions about further investigations, and influence how patients and doctors interpret and respond to the results. The team will also measure the impact of blood test results on the participants’ quality of life.
More than 1,000 people will be recruited for the ADAPT trial from 20 National Health Service memory clinics.
Dr. Jonathan Schott, co-leader of the ADAPT trial, described it as “a critical part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge, which we hope will take us a step forward in revolutionising the way we diagnose dementia.”
Study Suggests That Microplastics Could Trigger Dementia
Environmental groups have been warning for years about the harmful effects of microplastics on the environment and human health. Now, a new study has suggested a link between microplastics and Alzheimer’s disease-like symptoms in mice, which even surprised the researchers conducting the study.
Microplastics are plastic particles that come from the breakdown of larger plastics or are intentionally made from small items.
The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Communications, discovered that mice, particularly older ones, exposed to microplastics in their drinking water exhibited behavioral changes similar to those seen in people with dementia.
According to the study, the plastic particles crossed the blood-brain barrier in the mice and caused inflammation in the brain tissue. Jaime Ross, who led the study, said she was shocked by the speed of the changes.
“I’m still really surprised,” Ross, an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy, told The Washington Post.
The investigative team found that after being exposed to microplastics, mice carrying the APOE4 gene showed significant cognitive and behavioral changes that were not seen in mice without the gene. Studies have revealed that the APOE4 is a strong genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
Although the connection between microplastics and cognitive decline is concerning, there is hope in addressing the problem, thanks to recent scientific progress in water filtration to remove microplastics from water, body detoxification, and antioxidants that can counteract some of the harmful effects of microplastic exposure.
An Unexpected Link Between Menthol and Alzheimer’s
Menthol, a popular essential oil, is known for its ability to relieve tension, ease nasal congestion, and boost emotional well-being. Surprisingly, a research team in Spain found another virtue of menthol: It seems to protect the brain from some of the damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
In a study done with mice, the researchers discovered that after six months, the cognitive abilities of mice with Alzheimer’s disease improved when they inhaled the essential oil. Not only that, but menthol inhalation also improved the cognitive ability of healthy young mice, according to the 2023 study published in Frontiers in Immunology.
The cognitive abilities and memory capabilities also improved even after the researchers artificially reduced the number of Regulatory T (TReg) cells in the mice. TReg cells control the immune system’s response to foreign substances and help prevent autoimmune disease.
The research team also noticed that the levels of interlelukin-1β (IL-1β), a protein involved in inflammation, were reduced after the mice inhaled menthol.
“This study is an important step toward understanding the connection between the immune system, the central nervous system, and smell,” Noelia Casares, a member of the research team and an immunologist from CIMA, said in a news release. “The results suggest that odors and immune modulators may play an important role in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other diseases related to the central nervous system.”
Deep Sleep May Protect Against Memory Loss
A deep sleep might do more than refresh the body. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) discovered that deep sleep can help prevent memory loss in older adults whose brains already show signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
During deep, non-REM sleep, the brain’s waste removal system, called the glymphatic system, clears out waste proteins, including the toxic amyloid and tau proteins, which have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
The UC Berkeley conducted a study involving 62 older adults who did not have dementia. However, some individuals had amyloid deposits in their brains.
As participants slept in a lab, the researchers monitored their sleep waves. They used a positron emission tomography (PET) scan to measure the amount of beta-amyloid deposits in their brains. The next day, the participants were given a memory task involving matching names to faces.
Researchers discovered that participants with high amounts of amyloid deposits in their brains, who also experienced higher levels of deep sleep, performed better on the memory test than those with the same amount of deposits but poorer sleep quality.
Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at UC Berkeley and the senior author of the study, likened deep sleep to a rescue effort.
“Think of deep sleep almost like a life raft that keeps memory afloat, rather than memory getting dragged down by the weight of Alzheimer’s disease pathology,” Walker said in a UC Berkeley news story. “It now seems that deep NREM sleep may be a new, missing piece in the explanatory puzzle of cognitive reserve. This is especially exciting because we can take action. There are ways we can improve sleep, even in older adults.”
Source Links:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2ze84e8p1o
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/researchers-concerning-discovery-factor-linked-211500436.html?guccounter=1
https://www.newsbreak.com/sciencealert-555872/4024338077446-surprise-link-between-menthol-and-alzheimer-s-found-in-mice
https://www.newsbreak.com/share/4222874491933-unexpected-link-between-menthol-and-alzheimer-s-found-in-mice?_f=app_share&pd=0KA7xWlM&lang=en_US&send_time=1757468101&trans_data={“platform”:0,”cv”:”25.36.0.14″,”languages”:”en”}&sep=sc_play_button_v1-v1,sc_ios_comment_share_v2-v3&s=i3
https://news.berkeley.edu/2023/05/03/deep-sleep-may-mitigate-alzheimers-memory-loss-berkeley-research-shows/
