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From: NIH news releases and news items [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
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Sent: December 20, 2010 14:31
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Subject: STUDY TIES BLOOD PROTEIN TO ALZHEIMER'S BRAIN ABNORMALITIES
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
National Institute on Aging (NIA) <http://www.nia.nih.gov/>
For Immediate Release: Monday, December 20, 2010
CONTACT:
Peggy Vaughn or Barbara Cire, 301-496-1752, <e-mail:[log in to unmask]>
STUDY TIES BLOOD PROTEIN TO ALZHEIMER'S BRAIN ABNORMALITIES
In NIH-supported study, blood test in symptom-free volunteers links levels
of specific protein with beta amyloid deposits
Scientists are seeking ways to detect the earliest stages of Alzheimer's
disease, since harmful changes may be taking place in the brain years before
symptoms appear. Now, researchers report that a blood test detecting a
specific protein in blood samples from cognitively normal older people may
reflect the levels of beta-amyloid protein in the brain-a hallmark of the
disease. Supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, the
findings may eventually lead to a blood test that helps predict risk for
Alzheimer's disease and who may be a good candidate for participating in
clinical trials.
Madhav Thambisetty, M.D., Ph.D., of the Intramural Research Program at the
National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the NIH, was the lead author on
the study with collaborators from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's
College, London, and the Department of Radiology at Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore. The study appears in the Dec. 20, 2010, issue of the
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
"Recent advances in imaging and biomarkers that help track the onset and
progression of Alzheimer's disease show promise for early detection of the
disease process, and for tracking the effectiveness of early interventions,"
said NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. "This is critically important in
streamlining and conducting trials more efficiently so that we can find out
about possible therapies that much sooner."
Using proteomics technology, a method of studying hundreds of proteins from
a small blood sample, the researchers analyzed blood samples of 57 older and
symptom-free volunteers to determine whether specific proteins were
associated with amyloid burden in the brain. They measured brain amyloid
using PET (positron emission tomography) scans with Pittsburgh Compound B, a
tracer that binds to amyloid plaques. The volunteers are participating in
the NIA's Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), America's
longest-running scientific study of human aging.
The researchers found the amount of a specific protein called apolipoprotein
E, or ApoE, in the blood samples was strongly associated with the level of
beta amyloid in the brain. Those with high blood levels of the protein had
significantly greater deposits of amyloid in the medial temporal lobe, the
region of the brain important to memory function.
"These results are especially intriguing as this protein is made by the APOE
gene, the most robust genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's,"
Thambisetty said. Late-onset Alzheimer's is the most common form of the
disease and occurs around age 65 or later.
He now plans to test these findings in serial blood samples collected every
year in BLSA volunteers to determine how changing blood levels of ApoE
protein may relate to pathological changes in the brain over time.
"If the results are equally positive, we may be able to develop a blood test
that provides a less invasive, inexpensive method that helps to detect the
early pathological changes of Alzheimer's disease," he said.
The NIA leads the federal government effort conducting and supporting
research on aging and the health and well being of older people. For more on
health and on aging generally, go to <www.nia.nih.gov>. The NIA provides
information on age-related cognitive change and neurodegenerative disease
specifically at its Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR)
Center at <www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers>. To sign up for e-mail alerts about
new findings or publications, please visit either website. To learn more
about the BLSA, go to
<http://www.grc.nia.nih.gov/branches/blsa/blsanew.htm>.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency
for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical
research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs,
visit <www.nih.gov>.
##
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<http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2010/nia-20.htm>.
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