When doctors need to confirm an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, they often turn to a combination of brain imaging and cell analysis. Both have their drawbacks. The latter involves a lumbar puncture, an invasive and painful procedure more commonly known as a lumbar puncture. A doctor will insert a needle into the lower back to take a sample of the patient’s cerebrospinal fluid. A lab technician then tests the sample for signs of progressive nerve cell loss and excessive accumulation of amyloid and tau protein. MRI scans are less invasive, but are often expensive and accessibility is an issue; not all communities have access to technology.
The next best tool for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease is a blood test. While some can detect abnormal tau protein counts, they are less effective at detecting the telltale signs of neurodegeneration. But that could change soon. This week in the journal Brain, a multinational team of researchers from Sweden, Italy, the UK and the US detailed a new antibody-based blood test they recently developed. The new test can detect brain-derived tau proteins, which are specific to Alzheimer’s disease. After a study of 600 patients, the team found that their test could reliably distinguish the disease from other neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Thomas Karikari, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and one of the study’s co-authors, told The Guardian he hopes the breakthrough could help other researchers design better clinical trials for Alzheimer’s treatments. “A blood test is cheaper, safer and easier to administer, and may improve clinical confidence in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and the selection of participants for clinical trials and disease monitoring,” he said. There is more work to be done before the test reaches your local hospital. First, the team needs to validate that it works for a wide variety of patients, including those from different ethnic backgrounds.