A breakthrough study published in Nature Medicine suggests a new biomarker test can detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease up to a decade before symptoms appear. Developed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the test identifies small amounts of a protein called tau and its misfolded forms in cerebrospinal fluid, blood, and potentially brain scans.
The test correlates with cognitive decline severity, independent of other factors, making it an early-stage disease diagnosis and intervention tool. Researchers believe that detecting sites within a specific region of the tau protein can help initiate further diagnostics and early treatment.
The study’s findings are significant because tau tangles, which form in the brain, are a defining event for Alzheimer’s disease. The test’s accuracy lies in its ability to identify clumping-prone tau proteins and monitor their progression. This could lead to more effective therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, as trials show that patients with little-to-no quantifiable insoluble tau tangles benefit from new treatments.
The research is a step forward in the quest for early and accessible biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease. The study’s senior author, Thomas Karikari, notes that detecting early signs of tau aggregation could identify individuals likely to develop cognitive decline and be helped with new generation therapies.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-cerebrospinal-biomarker-alzheimer-pathology-earlier.html