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USC scientists say that Alzheimer's disease could be diagnosed earlier if scientists focus on early warning in the brain circulation system.
This is important because researchers believe that the earlier Alzheimer's disease is detected, the more likely it is to stop or slow down the disease.
"Cognitive impairment and accumulation in the brain of abnormal amyloid and tau proteins are what we currently depend on to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, but the disruption of the blood-brain barrier and changes in blood flow are observable much earlier, "Berislav Zlokovic said. the Mary Hayley Chair and Selim Zilkha in Alzheimer's Disease Research at the USC Keck School of Medicine. "This shows why healthy blood vessels are so important for the normal functioning of the brain."
In a new journal article in the September 24 issue of Neuroscience of natureZlokovic and his colleagues recommend that the blood-brain barrier, or BBB, be considered an important biomarker and a potential target for drugs against Alzheimer's disease. Because Alzheimer's disease is irreversible and is not fully understood, understanding the first stage of the disease process is a crucial step in the fight against this disease.
Alzheimer's disease affects 5.7 million Americans and is expected to affect approximately 14 million people by 2050, according to the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. Processing costs amount to hundreds of billions of dollars a year in the United States. Alzheimer's disease kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
The blood-brain barrier is a filtration system that lets in good things (glucose, amino acids) and prevents bad things (viruses, bacteria, blood). It is mainly composed of endothelial cells covering the 400 miles of arteries, veins and capillaries that feed our brain.
Some evidence suggests that leaks in the blood-brain barrier could allow a protein called amyloid to enter the brain where it adheres to neurons. This triggers the accumulation of more amyloid, which eventually overwhelms and kills brain cells.
"Something does not work with the system," said Arthur Toga, director of the Neuroimaging Laboratory (LONI) and the Institute for Neuroimaging and Computer Science Mark Mark and Mary Stevens of the Keck School of Medicine . "Healthy people have amyloid in their body.When the system is deregulated, the amyloid can accumulate and cells die."
Brain to brain leaks are observed in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.
BBB leaks can be detected with an intravenously administered contrast medium in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging. The brain microblocks, another sign of leakage, can also be detected by MRI. A slowing of glucose uptake by the brain, visible by PET, may be another result of BBB degradation.
Zlokovic notes that these tests are not routinely offered in medical practices.
Explore more:
Low sugar absorption in the brain appears to exacerbate Alzheimer's disease
More information:
The role of the cerebrovascular system in neurodegenerative disorders, Neuroscience of nature (2018). DOI: 10.1038 / s41593-018-0234-x, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-018-0234-x
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