Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a common form of early-onset dementia, often misdiagnosed due to overlapping symptoms with psychiatric and neurological disorders, may now have specific biomarkers. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) analyzed over 4,000 proteins in spinal fluid from 116 FTD patients and compared them to those from 39 healthy relatives.
The study identified changes in RNA regulation and neural connectivity, which could lead to new diagnostics and treatments for FTD. These findings suggest that patients with inherited forms of the disease have problems with gene expression and brain connections. The researchers believe these proteins could be the first specific markers for FTD emerging as the disease develops in middle age.
“FTD affects people in their prime of life, stripping them of independence,” said Rowan Saloner, PhD. “But there’s no definitive way to diagnose it in living patients.”
The study has implications for directing patients into appropriate treatments and clinical trials. The researchers hope that these biomarkers can help early diagnosis and improve treatment options.
The study was published in Nature Aging on May 16. Researchers from the ALLFTD Consortium, including Adam Boxer, Howie Rosen, and Brad Boeve, contributed to the study.
Source: https://neurosciencenews.com/ftd-biomarker-neurology-28948