A blood test could help prevent Alzheimer's disease

Researchers say leaks of blood vessels in the brain may be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease.

They followed 161 older adults for five years and found that those with the most severe memory loss had the largest leaks in the blood vessels of their brains, and that the amyloid and tau proteins badociated with Alzheimer's are present.

Breaking of the blood-brain barrier

The findings could help diagnose Alzheimer's earlier and suggest a new drug target to slow down or prevent the disease, according to researchers at the University of Southern California.

"The fact that blood vessels leak, regardless of tau and amyloid, when people have cognitive impairment [mental] According to Dr. Berislav Zlokovic, lead author of the study, he is director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Los Angeles.

"It was surprising that this break in the blood-brain barrier occurs independently," Zlokovic added in a press release issued by the university.

The blood-brain barrier prevents harmful substances from reaching the brain tissue. In some people, this barrier weakens with age.

"If the blood-brain barrier does not work properly, damage may occur," said Arthur Toga, co-author of the study, director of the Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute in Keck.

Revealing results

"This suggests that the vessels are not providing the nutrients and blood flow the neurons need, and you have the potential for toxic proteins to enter the body," Toga said.

"The results really opened the eyes," said the study's first author, Daniel Nation, an badistant professor of psychology. "It does not matter that people are suffering from a pathology of amyloid or tau protein, they still have a cognitive impairment."

The results were published recently in the journal Nature Medicine.

The next step in this research is to determine how quickly mental decline occurs after injury to the cerebral blood vessels.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of Americans with Alzheimer 's disease is expected to nearly triple to around 14 million by 2060.

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