A study published in Nature Medicine reveals that it is possible to identify patients with Alzheimer′s disease before they show any symptoms and to forecast whose condition will deteriorate over the next few years.

The study included 1,325 participants from Sweden, the US, the Netherlands, and Australia with no cognitive impairment at the start of the trial. Researchers conducted PET scans to see whether tau and amyloid proteins were present in the participants brains. 

According to experts, alterations to the brain take place ten to twenty years before the patient exhibits any overt symptoms. It is well known that two proteins beta-amyloids, which form plaques in the brain, and tau, which at a later stage accumulates inside brain cells are linked to Alzheimer’s. The patient shows the initial cognitive problems only when the tau starts to spread causing the death of the nerve cells. This explains why Alzheimer′s is so challenging to recognize in its early stages.

The study results showed that those with the two proteins detected had a 20–40 times higher risk of contracting the disease than those with no biological abnormalities after a follow-up examination a few years later.

The researchers also mentioned that a new medication called Lecanemab has shown promising results in clinical studies against Alzheimer′s. According to them, the drug may help to slow the disease down fairly early on if the condition is identified before symptoms manifest. This would then have a better chance of preventing or reducing future cognitive deterioration in conjunction with exercise and a healthy diet.

(Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/alzheimers-disease-can-be-diagnosed-before-patients-experience-symptoms-study-101668242949397.html)