Blood Test Predicts Alzheimer's Development

A new blood test can—with 90% accuracy—predict the development of Alzheimer’s disease within a 2 to 3 year timeframe in patients over the age of 70.

Tests of current biomarkers of the disease, such as cerebrospinal fluid or amyloid-β levels, are either too invasive or expensive to validate widespread testing.

In an attempt to discover blood-based biomarkers for the disease, researchers took blood samples from community-based adults over 70 years old.

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After 3 years of follow-up, 53 of the participants had amnestic mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer’s disease. Of those, 18 had developed the impairment during the 3-year span. 

Researchers matched these blood samples with 53 samples from cognitively normal adults, and were able to identify 10 depleted metabolites within the samples, acting as lipid biomarkers for cognitive impairment.

During the validation phase of the trial, the test proved 90% accurate in predicting which participants would develop Alzheimer’s within 3 years.

The researchers stress, however, that although this test allows for accurate prediction of the disease, there is still no cure for Alzheimer’s.

“Biomarkers of preclinical disease will be critical to the development of disease-modifying or even preventative therapies,” they concluded.

–Michael Potts

Reference

Mapstone M, Cheema A, Fiandaca M, Zhong X, et al. Plasma phospholipids identify antecedent memory impairment in older adults [published online ahead of print March 9, 2014]. Nature Medicine. doi:10.1038/nm.3466