New discovery of links between liver dysfunction and Alzheimer's disease – ScienceDaily

The study, published today in JAMA Network open now [insert link], led by Kwangsik Nho, professor of radiology at the IU School of Medicine, explores the relationship between biochemical markers of liver function based on blood and established biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, including multimodal neuroimaging . With more and more evidence linking Alzheimer's disease to diabetes or hypercholesterolemia and other systemic diseases, Nho and his colleagues have discovered an badociation between liver function and disease-related illness. Alzheimer's, which helps to better understand the metabolic dysfunction of the disease.

The researchers evaluated more than 1,500 participants of the IDNA sponsored by the National Institute of Aging (NIA) for two years using five serum-based liver function tests, which measure the enzymes mainly present in the liver. Using peripheral biochemical markers, the team was able to uncover evidence of metabolic disruption and give a new perspective on the badociation of liver enzymes altered with both cognitive impairment and pathophysiology of the MA, including amyloid β and phosphorylated tau in cerebrospinal fluid and reduced brain. glucose metabolism on PET scanners.

"This study is a combined effort of the ADNI, a study of 60 sites, and the ADMC.It represents the new wave of Alzheimer research, using a broader systemic approach that integrates central biology and device, "said Andrew J. Saykin, PsyD. , Director of the Indiana Alzheimer Alzheimer Center of the IU School of Medicine and Senior Researcher of the Consortium for Alzheimer's Metabolic Disease. "In this study, blood biomarkers reflecting liver function were related to brain imaging and CSF markers badociated with Alzheimer's disease," Saykin said. "We can not neglect any effort to try to understand the disease and to identify viable therapeutic targets."

Funded by the NIA as part of its partnership program accelerating the treatment of Alzheimer's disease by medicine, this research is the fruit of an international collaboration, led by Rima Kaddurah-Daouk, Ph.D. ., from Duke University, which attempts to connect the dots in the "digestive tract of the body". brain "communication pathway and link that to AD." This is a new paradigm for research on Alzheimer's, "said Nho." Until now, we have focused solely on the brain. Our research shows that by using blood biomarkers, we can always focus on the brain, but also find evidence of Alzheimer's disease and improve our understanding of the body's internal signal. "

"While we have focused too much on the study of the brain in isolation, we must now study the brain as an organ that communicates with other organs that function and can contribute to it. The concept that emerges Alzheimer's disease could be a systemic disease that affects many organs, including the liver, "Kaddurah-Daouk said. The purpose of the study outside the brain aligns with known risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, including metabolic disorders. According to Nho, looking elsewhere in the body for signals correlated with the disease can provide important clues for detection and, possibly, prevention.

This research not only highlights the link between the liver and the brain, but it should also allow physicians to provide more personalized care to patients. Through the IU Grand Precision Health Initiative Initiative and the ADMC Precision Medicine approach, researchers and physicians can focus on the impact of the environment, genes and the lifestyle of a patient on his general state of health. Instead of a single tactic, precision medicine allows researchers and physicians to predict and more accurately prevent devastating diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. The NIA-ADMC research program opens the door to doctors who treat patients with liver dysfunction to make sure that they also do not present Alzheimer's disease at an early stage.

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