Scientists may be one step closer to the stage of Alzheimer’s disease with a simple blood test.
The test could offer a cheaper and less invasive alternative to the brain and spine scans currently used to diagnose the disease.
Researchers have developed a model that uses only two types of tau protein in the blood to track the progression of Alzheimer’s.
They tested it on more than 1,000 patients, including people who were cognitively impaired, patients with mild cognitive impairment, patients with Alzheimer’s dementia, and people with other neurodegenerative diseases.
Results: Staging from the blood model matched the accuracy of PET brain scans.
Dr. Randy D’Amico, a neurosurgeon at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital, was not part of the research team, but says, “If the data holds up in larger studies…I think it could really expand access to Alzheimer’s biologic testing, which is a big thing.”
He says the blood test can help doctors detect and early stage Alzheimer’s disease, which is similar to the stage of cancer.
“And with a better stage, that means you can choose better targets for treatment … and you can actually prevent irreversible brain damage, or at least expect better outcomes.”
Future studies should confirm how well the blood test performs in larger and more diverse patient populations.
Source: JAMA Neurology
