Blood test hope for Alzheimer’s
A NEW blood test is on the horizon that could give doctors the first quick and simple way of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease.
Experiments on mice and people have shown it detects the rogue proteins that cause dementia and other neurological illnesses.
Scientists at Washington University in St Louis say the breakthrough could replace “spinal tap” tests - and lead to quicker ways of finding out if new treatments work.
Professor David Holtzman said: “We showed you can measure tau in the blood – and it provides insight into the status of tau in the fluid surrounding cells in brain.”
Tau is a normal brain protein that maintains the shape of brain cells.
But when it forms into tangles it damages and kills nearby neurons.
This can lead to memory loss, confusion and aggressive behaviour.