A team of researchers at Northern Arizona University (NAU) is working on a new way to find signs of Alzheimer’s disease earlier.
This method could also help track how the disease gets worse over time. If successful, it might help doctors treat patients sooner and slow the disease’s progress.
The project is led by Travis Gibbons, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. It is partly funded by the Arizona Alzheimer’s Association. The research focuses on brain metabolism, which is how the brain uses sugar—called glucose—for energy. Glucose powers everything the brain does, including thinking, memory, emotions, and movement.
Gibbons explained that a healthy brain uses glucose quickly and constantly, just like a car engine burns fuel. But in people with Alzheimer’s, the brain slows down and uses less glucose. He compared this change to a “canary in the coal mine,” meaning it could be one of the first warning signs of the disease.
The challenge is that the brain is hard to reach. In older studies, researchers had to insert tubes into veins in the neck to collect blood directly from the brain. This was not something that could be done easily in regular doctor visits. It was too invasive and uncomfortable for patients.
Now, Gibbons and his team are trying a much easier and safer approach. They are using test kits that are already sold for other purposes. These kits can find and study tiny particles in the blood called microvesicles.
Some of these microvesicles come from brain cells and carry helpful information. They work like little messengers, delivering materials from one part of the body to another.
By studying what’s inside these microvesicles, the scientists hope to learn more about what is happening inside the brain. This could be like getting a brain biopsy—a test to look at brain tissue—but without surgery or needles in the brain. It’s a much simpler and safer option.
The method is still being tested and improved. The process requires careful work and attention to detail. But if it works, it could completely change how doctors detect and monitor Alzheimer’s disease. It might help doctors see how the disease develops and how treatments are working.
In a past experiment, Gibbons and his team gave insulin through the nose. This allowed the insulin to reach the brain more directly. They then looked at blood from the brain and found markers linked to better brain health. Now, the researchers are trying to see if those same markers can be found in microvesicles. If they can, it would be a major step forward.
Right now, the team is testing this method with healthy volunteers. After that, they plan to study people with mild memory loss and those with diagnosed Alzheimer’s. They want to see if changes in glucose use can show how far the disease has progressed.
Gibbons believes that one day, doctors may be able to prevent or slow Alzheimer’s the same way they prevent heart disease—by encouraging healthy habits like regular exercise and a good diet. He hopes this research will help reduce the burden of Alzheimer’s on older adults and the healthcare system.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about the likely cause of Alzheimer’s disease , and new non-drug treatment that could help prevent Alzheimer’s.
For more health information, please see recent studies about diet that may help prevent Alzheimer’s, and results showing some dementia cases could be prevented by changing these 12 things.
This work shows how new science could make it easier to protect our brains and improve life as we age.
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