In a new study, scientists from the Netherlands, along with international colleagues, have made a remarkable discovery in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
Published in the prestigious journal Nature Aging, their research has identified not one, but five distinct types of Alzheimer’s, based on the fluid surrounding the brain in patients.
For a long time, researchers knew that Alzheimer’s patients had different protein levels in their cerebrospinal fluid compared to those without the disease. These proteins are like tiny messengers in the brain, and their levels change in various brain processes.
This new study took this understanding further by analyzing proteins in 419 Alzheimer’s patients and 187 healthy individuals.
What they found was intriguing: the protein differences in patients revealed five distinct patterns, suggesting five separate forms of Alzheimer’s disease. They labeled these as subtypes 1 through 5.
Each subtype is unique in how it affects the brain:
Subtype 1: Patients showed changes in proteins linked to brain cell hyperactivity and an increase in amyloid production. Amyloids are substances that can form plaques in the brain and are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
Subtype 2: Here, the proteins pointed to an overactive immune response in the brain, particularly involving microglia, the brain’s cleanup cells, leading to excessive removal of connections between brain cells.
Subtype 3: This group had signs of RNA dysregulation. RNA is crucial for carrying instructions from DNA and making proteins, so any disruption here can have significant effects.
Subtype 4: These patients showed issues in the choroid plexus, the part of the brain responsible for producing cerebrospinal fluid.
Subtype 5: This group had problems with the blood-brain barrier, a protective shield around the brain, along with reduced amyloid production.
Interestingly, each subtype also had its own genetic signature. This finding is critical because it suggests that Alzheimer’s is not a one-size-fits-all disease. It may explain why treatments have been so challenging to develop – different subtypes might need different therapies.
This discovery opens new doors for Alzheimer’s treatment. In the future, testing a patient’s cerebrospinal fluid could identify their specific Alzheimer’s subtype, allowing for more targeted and potentially more effective treatments.
This research marks a significant step forward in understanding and combating this complex and devastating disease.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, 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 research findings can be found in Nature Aging.
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