Blood test for predicting Alzheimer's risk

Last year I reported on a finding that ten lipids in the blood could predict development of MCI or Alzheimer's within 2-3 years, with over 90% accuracy. The hunt for an accurate blood test has been gathering momentum, on the back of the growing belief that any effective treatment of Alzheimer's might have to start early, and the high cost and inconvenience of other means of early diagnosis.

Since that report we have had several more findings. Bear in mind that 90% accuracy still means one in 10 people would get an incorrect result.

Blood proteins predict whether MCI will convert to Alzheimer's with 87% accuracy

Blood from 452 healthy people, 220 people with mild cognitive impairment, and 476 with Alzheimer’s disease, has allowed researchers to identify those whose MCI would progress to Alzheimer's. The study identified 16 proteins that were associated with brain shrinkage in MCI or Alzheimer's. Further testing revealed 10 proteins that could predict, with 87% accuracy, whether MCI would progress to Alzheimer's within the next 12 months.

http://www.the-scientist.com//?articles.view/articleNo/40452/title/Another-Alzheimer-s-Blood-Test-/

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/08/blood-test-predicts-onset-alzheimers-disease

Blood microRNA predicts Alzheimer's disease

A preliminary study using serum from 49 Australians has found that microRNA in the blood can predict early changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer's.

One in five healthy participants with no memory complaints showed the specific microRNA associated with Alzheimer's. Brain imaging then confirmed the presence of early degeneration. The 16-miRNA signature, together with established risk factors such as age, sex and apolipoprotein ε4 gene status, predicted Alzheimer's with 91% accuracy.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-10/uom-btd102814.php

http://www.futurity.org/blood-test-alzheimers-792862/

Large Danish study links ApoE in blood to Alzheimer's risk

A study using data from nearly 76,000 Danes has shown that the level of the biomarker apolipoprotein E in the blood can predict the risk of developing dementia, with low levels being associated with a higher risk. Apolipoprotein E in the brain is strongly associated with Alzheimer's, with the ApoE4 gene the strongest genetic factor linked to Alzheimer's risk.

The study found that the link between blood plasma level and Alzheimer's and dementia risk existed irrespective of APOE genotype.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-02/uoc-sbt020915.php

[3892] Hye, A., Riddoch-Contreras J., Baird A. L., Ashton N. J., Bazenet C., Leung R., et al.
(2014).  Plasma proteins predict conversion to dementia from prodromal disease.
Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 10(6), 799 - 807.e2.

[3891] Cheng, L., Doecke J. D., Sharples R. A., Villemagne V. L., Fowler C. J., Rembach A., et al.
(2014).  Prognostic serum miRNA biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease shows concordance with neuropsychological and neuroimaging assessment.
Molecular Psychiatry.

[3899] Rasmussen, K. L., Tybjærg-Hansen A., Nordestgaard B. G., & Frikke-Schmidt R.
(2015).  Plasma levels of apolipoprotein E and risk of dementia in the general population.
Annals of Neurology. 77(2), 301 - 311.

Related News

New research supports the classification system for preclinical Alzheimer’s proposed two years ago. The classification system divides preclinical Alzheimer's into three stages:

Initial findings from an analysis of cerebrospinal fluid taken between 1995 and 2005 from 265 middle-aged healthy volunteers, of whom 75% had a close family m

People with Parkinson’s disease have a six times greater risk of developing dementia than the general population. A new study points to a way of picking out those who are at risk of dementia.

A five-year study involving 525 older adults (70+) found 46 had Alzheimer’s or aMCI and a further 28 went on to develop the conditions.

A three-year study involving 152 adults aged 50 and older, of whom 52 had been recently diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and 31 were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, has found that those with mild or no cognitive impairment who initially had amyloid-beta plaques showed greater cogniti

More evidence for early changes in the eye in Alzheimer’s disease comes from a study involving both rats and postmortem human retinas.

A multi-year study involving 207 healthy older adults, in which their spinal fluids were repeatedly sampled and their brains repeatedly scanned, has found that disruptions in the default mode network emerges about the same time as chemical markers of Alzheimer’s appear in the spinal fluid (decre

An analysis of the anatomical connectivity in the brains of 15 people with Alzheimer's disease, 68 with mild cognitive impairment and 28 healthy older individuals, has found several measures showed disease effects:

Following on from the evidence that Alzheimer’s brains show higher levels of metals such as iron, copper, and zinc, a mouse study has found that amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s-like brains with significant neurodegeneration have about 25% more copper than those with little neurodegeneration.

Providing some support for the finding I recently reported — that problems with semantic knowledge in those with mild cognitive impairment (

Pages

Subscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest health newsSubscribe to Latest news
Error | About memory

Error

The website encountered an unexpected error. Please try again later.