{"id":632896,"date":"2024-08-31T22:00:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-31T19:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-a-simple-blood-test-could-affect-how-alzheimers-is-diagnosed\/"},"modified":"2024-08-31T22:00:01","modified_gmt":"2024-08-31T19:00:01","slug":"how-a-simple-blood-test-could-affect-how-alzheimers-is-diagnosed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-a-simple-blood-test-could-affect-how-alzheimers-is-diagnosed\/","title":{"rendered":"#How a simple blood test could affect how Alzheimer&#8217;s is diagnosed"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a42b726d26f9\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a42b726d26f9\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-a-simple-blood-test-could-affect-how-alzheimers-is-diagnosed\/#What_are_the_current_methods_to_diagnose_Alzheimers_disease\" >What are the current methods to diagnose Alzheimer&#8217;s disease?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-a-simple-blood-test-could-affect-how-alzheimers-is-diagnosed\/#What_are_the_weaknesses_of_these_approaches\" >What are the weaknesses of these approaches?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-a-simple-blood-test-could-affect-how-alzheimers-is-diagnosed\/#How_will_blood_tests_change_the_diagnostic_process\" >How will blood tests change the diagnostic process?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-a-simple-blood-test-could-affect-how-alzheimers-is-diagnosed\/#How_will_a_high-performing_blood_test_affect_health_care_policies_with_regard_to_Alzheimers\" >How will a high-performing blood test affect health care policies with regard to Alzheimer&#8217;s?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-a-simple-blood-test-could-affect-how-alzheimers-is-diagnosed\/#You_published_a_study_last_year_that_found_more_than_7_million_Americans_have_mild_cognitive_impairment_but_most_have_not_been_diagnosed_Do_you_think_this_blood_test_could_solve_that_problem\" >You published a study last year that found more than 7 million Americans have mild cognitive impairment but most have not been diagnosed. Do you think this blood test could solve that problem?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2023\/blood-test-3.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2023\/blood-test-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: Pixabay\/CC0 Public Domain\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2023\/blood-test-3.jpg\" alt=\"blood test\" title=\"Credit: Pixabay\/CC0 Public Domain\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: Pixabay\/CC0 Public Domain<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A simple blood test to diagnose Alzheimer&#8217;s disease, which afflicts nearly 7 million Americans, could soon replace more invasive and expensive diagnostic methods such as spinal taps and brain scans.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                    The discovery would make Alzheimer&#8217;s diagnosis faster, more accessible and cheaper. Additionally, the blood test has the potential to enable more people to begin taking Alzheimer&#8217;s medications at the disease&#8217;s earliest stages.<\/p>\n<p>Soeren Mattke, a professor of economics and director of the Brain Health Observatory at the Center for Economic and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social<\/a> Research in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a>s who studies how advances in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> affect the access to memory care, spoke on the subject.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_current_methods_to_diagnose_Alzheimers_disease\"><\/span>What are the current methods to diagnose Alzheimer&#8217;s disease?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In order to determine if someone has Alzheimer&#8217;s disease, you need to show the pathology exists in the brain\u2014typically the presence of amyloid clumps in the brain. Historically, this determination has been done using two methods.<\/p>\n<p>One method is a PET scan. This is similar to an MRI, but the contrast agent is a radioactive tracer that binds to amyloid in the brain. If you do a scan, you can see whether or not that tracer is present in the brain, and that confirms the presence of amyloid.<\/p>\n<p>The second way is a cerebral spinal fluid analysis for which you have to do a lumbar puncture, draw fluid and then analyze the spinal fluid in the lab to determine evidence of amyloid proteins.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_weaknesses_of_these_approaches\"><\/span>What are the weaknesses of these approaches?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Neither method is great. PET scanners can be inaccessible due to the expense of the device. There are only 2,500 PET scanners, give or take, in this country. And these scanners are only in the larger cities, the larger hospitals, because you need a high volume of patients to pay for a PET scanner.<\/p>\n<p>CSF analysis is more scalable, but patients are reluctant to this method of testing. In CSF analysis, a needle must be inserted into a patient&#8217;s spine. Many doctors have stopped practicing CSF analysis due to patients&#8217; hesitation.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_will_blood_tests_change_the_diagnostic_process\"><\/span>How will blood tests change the diagnostic process?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A few years ago, researchers began to develop blood tests that could replace the need for collecting cerebral spinal fluid. Blood tests for Alzheimer&#8217;s have been around for quite a while, but the APS2 test developed by researchers at Lund University is the most accurate to date.<\/p>\n<p>There are blood tests aside from APS2 on the market, but they&#8217;re not quite as accurate. They can only be utilized as so-called &#8220;triage tests.&#8221; A doctor could say, &#8220;Well, if the test is negative, we can be pretty sure that the patient isn&#8217;t an Alzheimer&#8217;s candidate.&#8221; These blood tests would decrease the number of PET scans and CSF tests, but they wouldn&#8217;t completely eliminate them.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_will_a_high-performing_blood_test_affect_health_care_policies_with_regard_to_Alzheimers\"><\/span>How will a high-performing blood test affect health care policies with regard to Alzheimer&#8217;s?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>That&#8217;s the focus of my research. My lab creates <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1002\/alz.12470\">projections<\/a> of how a novel diagnostic product might impact the diagnosis process and, by extension, access to care. We don&#8217;t endorse products, but our studies test the performance of potential diagnostic tools. One of our research studies forecasted the effect of a diagnostic tool with similar characteristics to APS2.<\/p>\n<p>The overall message is: with a highly accurate blood test, you can shorten diagnostic wait times quite dramatically. That&#8217;s really important because the longer a doctor has to wait for a patient&#8217;s definite diagnosis, the more time is lost before patients can get started on treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Alzheimer&#8217;s is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder. The longer you have to wait for diagnosis and treatment, the more cognitive capacity is lost. And that loss is irreversible. I&#8217;m trying to figure out how to get the health care system to act as fast as possible.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"You_published_a_study_last_year_that_found_more_than_7_million_Americans_have_mild_cognitive_impairment_but_most_have_not_been_diagnosed_Do_you_think_this_blood_test_could_solve_that_problem\"><\/span>You published a study last year that found more than 7 million Americans have mild cognitive impairment but most have not been diagnosed. Do you think this blood test could solve that problem?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Yes and no. A clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment is a necessary first step, but we cannot formally diagnose Alzheimer&#8217;s disease based on the clinical presentation. Confirmation of the pathology is still required.<\/p>\n<p>My hope is that an easier path to confirmation of pathology with a blood test and the availability of disease-specific treatment will motivate physicians to pay more attention to early-stage cognitive decline.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    University of Southern California<br \/>\n                                                                                                        <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"http:\/\/www.usc.edu\/\"><br \/>\n                                                        <svg>\n                                                            <use href=\"https:\/\/medx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n                                                        <\/svg><br \/>\n                                                    <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                 <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                 Q&amp;A: How a simple blood test could affect how Alzheimer&#8217;s is diagnosed (2024, August 31)<br \/>\n                                                 retrieved 31 August 2024<br \/>\n                                                 from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2024-08-qa-simple-blood-affect-alzheimer.html<\/p>\n<p>                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2024-08-qa-simple-blood-affect-alzheimer.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: Pixabay\/CC0 Public Domain A simple blood test to diagnose Alzheimer&#8217;s disease, which afflicts nearly 7 million Americans, could soon replace more invasive and expensive diagnostic methods such as spinal taps and brain scans. The discovery would make Alzheimer&#8217;s diagnosis faster, more accessible and cheaper. Additionally, the blood test has the potential to enable more&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":632897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2023\/blood-test-3.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-632896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}