Very early diagnosis

According to a new biomarker, Alzheimer's disease can be predicted in 20 years

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

A previously unknown sign of probable neurodegeneration was found in the immune system of the brain. In some people, it is determined 20 years before symptoms. In addition to the potential as an early diagnosis of an incurable disease, a detailed study of this mechanism has indicated some molecules that may become new candidate drugs.

The study by a group of scientists from Germany involved almost 300 volunteers over the age of 60 — healthy and people with cognitive impairments, as well as patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Previously, all of them had been participants in the elderly observation program for many years, so the scientists had samples of cerebrospinal fluid, cognitive test data and MRI scans of the brain with different frequency over several years.

From previous studies, scientists knew about the connection of neuroinflammation with dementia, so they began to study in detail various immunological biomarkers in samples of cerebrospinal fluid.

It turned out that some of these inflammatory signs are noticeable even in the absence of symptoms of dementia — for about 10-20 years.

It is noteworthy that part of the biomarkers are proteins from the TAM receptor family — they turned out to be connected with the neuron damage control program. For example, their increased values correlated with a larger brain volume and a slower decline in cognitive functions in patients.

Since proteins from this family affect the immune response and contribute to the removal of cellular waste, scientists have identified a new vector for the development of drugs against Alzheimer's disease. In addition, work is underway to simplify the strategy of early diagnosis of the disease by these parameters.

Article by Brosseron et al. Soluble TAM receptors sAXL and sTyro3 predict structural and functional protection in Alzheimer's disease is published in the journal Neuron – VM.

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