What is it about?
A new discovery by Tel Aviv University, Technion (Rambam Medical Center), and Harvard University researchers takes the medical community a leap forward in the process of effectively screening and diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. The new study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, proposes a new biomarker for cognitive aging and Alzheimer's disease: activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP), the levels of which can be easily monitored in routine blood tests. The study also found that ADNP levels tested in the blood correlate with higher IQ in healthy older adults.
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Why is it important?
The progressive dementia of Alzheimer’s disease affects some 35 million people worldwide and is expected to affect 115 million by 2050, yet currently it is not possible to detect the disease before it has caused loss of memory and function. Even then, the tests available are invasive and/or expensive.
Perspectives
"We have found a clear connection between ADNP levels in the blood and amyloid plaques in the brain," said Prof. Gozes. "Our study is the first to assess ADNP in elderly individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease, and its results open the door for further validation in larger, more informative studies."
Illana Gozes
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Blood-Borne Activity-Dependent Neuroprotective Protein (ADNP) is Correlated with Premorbid Intelligence, Clinical Stage, and Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers, Journal of Alzheimer s Disease, November 2015, IOS Press,
DOI: 10.3233/jad-150799.
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