| A study has found that blood tests can predict Alzheimer’s risk. (Photo = DB) |
[메디컬투데이=한지혁 기자] Blood tests have been shown to predict Alzheimer’s risk.
A study on the association between blood markers of astrocytes, a type of brain cell, and Alzheimer’s disease was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Abnormal accumulation of amyloid plaques and tau protein tangles in the brain has long been thought to be a major cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, drug development for Alzheimer’s disease has also focused primarily on amyloid and tau rather than on the potential role of the brain’s environment, including the neuro-immune system.
Astrocytes are distributed in large numbers in brain tissue and play an auxiliary role in providing nutrients, oxygen, and protection from pathogens to nerve cells. Due to the nature of astrocytes, which do not conduct electricity like nerve cells, there are no research results that have focused on the role of astrocytes in neurodegenerative diseases.
According to previous studies, changes in the brain environment, such as increased levels of inflammation, can play a crucial role in initiating the pathological sequence of Alzheimer’s disease, which leads to neuronal cell death and rapid cognitive decline.
In this context, a research team at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School conducted a study on more than 1,000 elderly people with normal cognitive function to investigate the effect of astrocytes, which are strongly related to the environment in the brain, on Alzheimer’s disease.
Through blood tests, the research team measured levels of ‘glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)’, which indicates the reactivity of astrocytes, and investigated the presence of pathological tau protein and the accumulation of amyloid plaques.
The analysis showed that participants in whom both excessive activation of astrocytes and accumulation of amyloid were observed had an increased risk of developing symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.
The research team noted, “The abnormal reactivity of astrocytes showed a decisive association with Alzheimer’s disease, and it can help identify Alzheimer’s risk groups in that it can be measured through a simple blood test.”
The results of this study are expected to have a significant impact on future clinical trials. The development of effective tests for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is very important, as most clinical trials aim to halt the progression by intervening in the early stages of the disease.
The researchers expressed their anticipation, saying, “Sooner or later, the combination of amyloid and GFAP may be used clinically to identify patients at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
Medical Today Reporter Han Ji-hyeok (hanjh3438@mdtoday.co.kr)
[저작권자ⓒ 메디컬투데이. 무단전재-재배포 금지]
2023-06-11 22:58:35
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