A Type of Phosphorylated Tau in Blood Samples Indicates Amyloid- β Aggregation Prior to Symptoms

Presently available methods of determining whether or not amyloid-β aggregates exist in the brain are expensive and invasive. Amyloid-β forms solid deposits in and around cells in the brain for decades prior to the first obvious signs of neurodegeneration, and people with raised levels of these protein aggregates are more likely to progress to dementia. Early, accurate, low-cost measurements of amyloid-β prior to symptoms could lead to the identification of lifestyle choices that minimize risk, as well as to the development of preventative therapies. Absent assays that can achieve this goal, there is little pressure to develop such treatments, however. Thus it is always good news to see progress towards cost-effective ways to measure amyloid-β burden. Alzheimer's disease begins with a silent phase lasting two decades or more during which amyloid plaques slowly collect in the brain without causing obvious cognitive problems. For decades, researchers have been searching for an easy and affordable way to identify people in the so-called preclinical stage so that, once effective drugs are available, they could be treated and, ideally, never develop symptoms at all. Positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans can identify people with amyloid plaques, but they are too time-consuming and expensive to be widely used for screening or diagnosis. Researchers previously had discovered that people with amyloid plaques tend to have certain forms of tau in the cerebr...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs