Bid to screen for dementia
IF you were asked what year and month we are in right now, you would probably answer within a matter of seconds.
But your biological markers – changes that occur in your body before cognitive symptoms appear – may tell a different story.
Dementia is a frighteningly common disorder with no known cure and the second leading cause of death in Australia.
This neurological disorder often leads to rapid cognitive decline and memory loss, and at present, affects some 50 million people worldwide – many of whom will not even be able to name the year they are living in.
Several studies have shown dementia has a long preclinical phase, ranging somewhere between 10 and 30 years.
By preclinical phase, we refer to the transition period that lies between normal cognition and dementia.
It’s an asymptomatic stage where the cognitive symptoms of dementia aren’t yet apparent, but early biochemical changes have already begun in the body.
But if we can identify what biochemical changes are happening inside our cells during this preclinical stage, it might help us detect dementia before irreversible brain damage has occurred – and we could do this with a simple blood test.
This would provide an opportunity to make lifestyle or medicine-based interventions that could delay (or even prevent) the future incidence of this disorder.
To do this, we’re looking for biological markers, or biomarkers, associated with the preclinical phase. These can be used for screening high-risk populations to identify individuals at risk of developing dementia, as well as shedding
light on the disorder’s underlying molecular mechanisms.
I am currently exploring this research while completing my PhD at Deakin University.
With the help of ageing Geelong participants from the Geelong Osteoporosis Study, I used blood samples to identify
protein biomarkers associated with poor cognition.
Preliminary results have revealed a panel of blood proteins associated with poor cognition.
But although biomarkers are useful indicators of underlying health conditions, they
alone don’t always complete the picture. For example, there are both modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors associated with dementia.
Because of this, I also researched how modifiable risk factors, such as depression and osteoporosis, can affect the relationship between biomarker levels and poor cognition.
Individuals with these health conditions would be considered high-risk, and thus could benefit from pre-emptive screening.
These biomarker studies come with their own set of challenges, such as the challenge of reproducibility.
Before a biomarker can be used in routine diagnostics, it needs to be validated across different populations to ensure high accuracy and reliability.
Follow-up studies are also required to see if biomarkers that can identify poor cognition in the preclinical phase can also predict long-term cognitive change.
Like most chronic conditions, dementia often develops due to a complex interplay between several factors, including age, genetics, lifestyle, comorbid health conditions, and more – risk factors that must be factored into biomarker studies.
If done right, biomarkers will be indispensable to the clinical world, and provide a better chance at early detection for dementia patients.