Alzheimer’s blood test may predict cognitive decline a decade early
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A simple blood test that detects a specific protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease may help predict future cognitive decline in older adults up to a decade before any noticeable symptoms appear, according to a new study.
The Harvard-led research, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London and published simultaneously in The Journal of the American Medical Association, could transform the way doctors assess dementia risk and help patients prepare for the disease.
By measuring a blood biomarker called p-tau217, which tracks the build-up of harmful proteins in the brain, clinicians may soon be able to assess Alzheimer’s risk in the same way they use cholesterol tests to predict heart disease risk, researchers say.
BLOOD TESTS CAN PREDICT ALZHEIMER’S SYMPTOMS YEARS AGO, BUT EXPERTS PLEASE BE CAREFUL
In one of the largest analyzes of its kind, researchers tracked nearly 2,700 cognitively healthy adults, with an average age of 70, for about a decade.
A simple blood test measuring the protein P-tau217 can predict future cognitive decline in asymptomatic older adults up to 10 years before any noticeable memory problems begin. (iStock)
They found that asymptomatic individuals with high levels of p-tau217 had an estimated 78% chance of developing cognitive impairment within 10 years and roughly a one-in-three chance within five years. Even those with moderately high levels faced a 45% risk over ten years.
The P-tau217 protein is a modified form of tau that forms tangles in the brain and is associated with memory loss. According to the researchers, the blood test provided information beyond what standard brain scans and genetic tests can provide.
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The findings provide some of the clearest evidence that dementia risk can be detected years before memory problems begin, said Rachel Buckley, lead author of the study and associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School.
Even people with only moderately elevated biomarker levels face a 45% risk of significant cognitive decline within 10 years. (iStock)
“Once validated, these blood tests can be used to recruit patients for clinical trials of treatments to prevent cognitive decline and dementia,” he said in a press release.
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“In the future, when treatments are approved for use early in the disease process, these tests can guide monitoring, treatment decisions, and counseling for patients and their families.”
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The researchers cautioned that p-tau217 alone cannot fully predict an individual’s future. Other factors such as age, genetics, kidney function, and racial background may also affect biomarker levels and dementia risk.
The researchers found the same, consistent patterns of risk in nearly 2,700 participants from six international research groups. (iStock)
The team emphasized that longer studies in more diverse groups are needed to perfect these risk estimates.
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Maria Carrillo, chief scientific officer of the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, said targeting the silent phase of the disease before memory problems appear is where future treatments could have the biggest impact.
“Identifying people at risk earlier could fundamentally change the way we diagnose, treat and potentially prevent dementia,” he told Fox News Digital, noting that earlier detection could allow people to begin intervention before symptoms develop.
