Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition that causes progressive memory loss and cognitive impairment.
Although the disease begins to affect the brain decades before symptoms become noticeable, early diagnosis can help slow its progression.
Currently, researchers are working to identify biomarkers that could aid in detecting the disease at its earliest stages.
The Breakthrough
Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet have found that a protein called Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) might serve as a biomarker for the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
This protein is believed to be an indicator of activated immune cells in the brain, reflecting changes due to Alzheimer’s before the accumulation of tau protein and noticeable neuronal damage.
The team analyzed 164 blood plasma samples from individuals with an inherited form of Alzheimer’s, which is a rare form accounting for less than 1% of all cases.
These individuals have a 50% risk of developing the disease due to a parent with an Alzheimer’s-causing mutation.
What Did They Find?
The researchers discovered clear changes in the concentrations of several blood proteins in those with the Alzheimer’s mutation.
The first noticeable change was an increase in GFAP about ten years before the onset of disease symptoms.
This increase was followed by a rise in P-tau181 and neurofilament light protein (NfL) concentrations, both of which are known to be associated with neuronal damage in Alzheimer’s.
What Does It Mean?
The identification of GFAP as a potential early biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease opens the door for non-invasive, early diagnosis and intervention.
This could be instrumental in developing new treatments and improving cognitive disease diagnostics.
This is an exciting development, as earlier detection and treatment can potentially slow the progression of the disease and improve the quality of life for those affected.
Future research will need to confirm these findings and further explore GFAP’s potential as a biomarker in a broader population, beyond those with the inherited form of Alzheimer’s.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about a primary cause of Alzheimer’s, and higher magnesium intake could help benefit brain health.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce dementia risk, and coconut oil could help improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s.
The study was published in Brain.
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