BarcelonaThe scientific community has long since established a place for blood tests in the diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's. This is especially true for the progression of this neurodegenerative disease, even in its earliest stages, when symptoms are not yet evident. Neurology Unraveling this new mechanism, which reinforces the role of blood tests in the future of dementia diagnosis and monitoring. Neurologist and researcher from the Dementia Neurobiology Group at San Pablo University, Ignacio Illán, who led the research, highlights the potential of this marker as a clinical tool. "Not only does it accurately identify Alzheimer's disease, but it also allows us to estimate its rate of progression, a key aspect for making therapeutic decisions," he says.
The study was conducted based on information from 731 people with or without cognitive impairment, who were followed for an average of 10 years. The researchers analyzed p-tau217 levels and observed that this marker not only correlates with the presence of Alzheimer's disease, but also allows us to anticipate the rate of cognitive decline and progression to more advanced stages of the disease, including dementia. "Being able to access this information through a blood test opens up possibilities that until now were reserved for highly specialized centers," says Illán.
Patient Selection
Neuropsychologist researcher Judit Selma-González, first author of the study, highlights that one of the most relevant findings is that p-tau217 allows for the identification of people who do not yet have cognitive symptoms, but who have a higher risk of developing the disease in the short or medium term. disease," he adds.
Until now, the most reliable biomarkers for detecting and monitoring Alzheimer's required invasive techniques such as lumbar puncture (to analyze cerebrospinal fluid) or expensive ones such as positron emission tomography (PET). The use of inexpensive PTA, with applications as clinical as in research.
The study showed that p-tau217 levels progressively increased from preclinical stages to advanced stages of dementia and were independently associated with a higher risk of cognitive decline. equivalent in cerebrospinal fluid, p-tau181, currently used.
This advance is of particular relevance in the current context, in which disease-modifying treatments are already being approved, such as anti-amyloid antibodies, whose use is conditioned by the stage of evolution of Alz. and to monitor its progression It represents an important step towards more personalized and precise medicine.
Diverse financing
This study was funded by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) and co-funded by the European Union. It also received support from the research programs of the Center for Biomedical Network Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED) and the La Marató de 3cat Foundation, as well as from the La Caixa Banking Foundation, the Catalan Down Syndrome Foundation, the Víctor Grífols i Lucas Foundation, and the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government).
In addition, several researchers have received competitive contracts, and several authors are affiliated with the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), with additional funding from the Alzheimer's Association, the Alzheimer's Society, and the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation. International collaboration has been strengthened by the participation of the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden), the Banner Alzheimer's Institute (United States), and the Barcelona Down Medical Center.
