In an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Swedish researchers claim that an analysis of specific biomarkers in a cerebrospinal fluid sample can differentiate patients with Alzheimer’s disease from those with other types of dementia. The method, which is being studied by researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, may eventually permit earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
Due to the similarity of the symptoms, differentiating patients with Alzheimer’s from those with other types of dementia, and patients with Parkinson’s disease from those with other motor disorders, is often difficult. But making a proper diagnosis is essential if proper treatment and medication are to commence at an early stage. The researchers are developing a new method to differentiate patients with Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease by analyzing a cerebrospinal fluid sample. The study, conducted among 450 patients at Skåne University Hospital and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, involved testing five proteins that serve as biomarkers for the two diseases.
“Previous studies have shown that Alzheimer’s disease is associated with biochemical changes in specific proteins of the brain,” says researcher Annika Öhrfelt. “This study has found that the inclusion of a new protein can differentiate patients with Alzheimer’s disease from those with Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease dementia, and other types of dementia. Additional studies are needed before the biomarkers can be used in clinical practice during the early stages of disease, but these results represent an important step along the way.” Read the study abstract.
