Is there a quick test for Alzheimer’s? A recent study suggests Scientists are in the process of developing a more accurate blood test for the disease making it easier to diagnose, and convenient for those being tested. Typically, Alzheimer’s is diagnosed either by imaging studies of the brain, which are expensive, or spinal tap tests which can be painful and require more preparation than a simple blood test. And this new blood test is more accurate than the previous
[This] new test can detect a novel marker of Alzheimer’s disease neurodegeneration in a blood sample. “The biomarker, called ‘brain-derived tau,’ or BD-tau, outperforms current blood diagnostic tests used to detect Alzheimer’s-related neurodegeneration clinically. It is specific to Alzheimer’s disease and correlates well with Alzheimer’s neurodegeneration biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF),”
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/blood-test-detect-alzheimers-disease-153456400.html
If you think about it, this can help family caregivers and the children of aging parents who may suspect that there may be some cognitive decline in a loved one, but the /may be minor. With an earlier diagnosis, treatment for the condition could start earlier and planning for the future would be a lot easier. Whether it’s vacations, bucket lists, or financial planning, it makes it a lot easier when you know what you’re dealing with.
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease involves finding three indicators in patients: amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which are abnormal proteins in neurons; and brain neurodegeneration, which is when nerve cells lose function and die. Spinal fluid tests and brain imaging are typically used to find all of these indicators. However, this creates a fairly big hurdle for doctors and patients alike in terms of accessibility—which is why blood tests could present a good alternative.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-blood-test-paves-the-way-to-cheap-alzheimers-diagnosis
[Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh] are planning to conduct large-scale clinical validation of blood [markers for Alzheimer’s] in a wide range of research groups, including those that recruit participants from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, from memory clinics, and from the community. Additionally, these studies will include older adults with no biological evidence of Alzheimer’s disease as well as those at different stages of the disease. These projects are crucial to ensure that the biomarker results are generalizable to people from all backgrounds, and will pave the way to making BD-tau commercially available for widespread clinical and prognostic use.
Univ. of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Hopefully this simple test for Alzheimer’s will be available to the public within the next year.