Spinal fluid proteins may detect Alzheimer

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Proteins in spinal fluid accurately detect early-stage Alzheimer's disease in patients and could pave the way for better drug research, Swedish researchers said on Tuesday.

The team studied three proteins — two types of tau, which forms toxic tangles in the brain and a form of amyloid, which forms sticky brain plaques in people with Alzheimer's disease.

The team studied 750 people with mild cognitive impairment, 529 with Alzheimer's disease and 304 healthy people in 12 centers in Europe and the United States. People with cognitive impairment were followed for 2 years, or until their symptoms worsened.

The researchers found the three biomarkers accurately identified 62 percent of those who would develop Alzheimer's disease, and were 88 percent accurate at ruling it out.

"Alzheimer disease has no treatment to prevent or alter the course of the disease, so making the diagnosis with good accuracy may aid in planning but also could be devastating news for some patients and families," they wrote. more info.
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