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Blood Test Detects Alzheimer's Decades Early
1 Jun
Summary
- Blood test may detect Alzheimer's biomarkers decades before symptoms.
- Higher tau protein levels signal worse cognitive performance and decline.
- Early detection allows for risk factor management and potential delay.
Researchers have identified a potential blood test capable of detecting early signs of Alzheimer's disease, possibly decades before cognitive symptoms become apparent. The study, published in The Lancet, focused on measuring biomarkers such as tau proteins in the blood.
Elevated levels of specific biomarkers, including Aβ42, Aβ40, and p-tau217, were found in a small percentage of dementia-free adults. These high levels correlated with worse midlife cognitive performance and an accelerated decline in verbal memory and processing speed over five years.
The findings highlight the promise of using blood tests for early Alzheimer's detection in middle-aged individuals. Early identification offers a critical window for addressing modifiable risk factors like physical inactivity, smoking, poor sleep, and hearing loss, alongside medication.
Experts caution that while promising, these blood biomarker tests may yield false positives in younger, cognitively unimpaired individuals. Therefore, they should be used alongside other diagnostic criteria and are not recommended for broad, untargeted community screening at this time.
