Researchers at the University of Cambridge have shown that it is possible to detect signs of brain impairment in patients as early as nine years before a dementia-related disease diagnosis.
Over 50 million people suffer from dementia worldwide. Despite these numbers, effective treatments for the devastating disease are limited. Partly, because the condition is often only diagnosed once symptoms have appeared, whereas the brain impairment has already begun years earlier. A team of U.K. researchers is now aiming to spot potential signs for the disease ahead of the diagnosis.
In their study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, the scientists analyzed data from over 500,000 individuals using the UK Biobank, a biomedical database, containing anonymized genetic, lifestyle and health information.
In order to identify the pre-diagnostic signs of the dementia, the scientists compared test scores in problem solving, memory, reaction times and grip strength over time in patients who later went on to develop neurological diseases such as dementia to that of healthy individuals.
“When we looked back at patients’ histories, it became clear that they were showing some cognitive impairment several years before their symptoms became obvious enough to prompt a diagnosis. The impairments were often subtle, but across a number of aspects of cognition,” said Nol Swaddiwudhipong, junior doctor at the University of Cambridge and senior author of the study in a press statement.
“This is a step towards us being able to screen people who are at greatest risk—for example, people over 50 or those who have high blood pressure or do not do enough exercise—and intervene at an earlier stage to help them reduce their risk.”
Another type of dementia screening, which already exists, is based on biomarkers for the disease. In an analysis of currently available genetic tests, published in Nature, scientists concluded a screening for mutations in the C9orf72 gene to be the most appropriate. However, the researchers also said that the uptake of predictive testing is currently low.
The Cambridge researchers are hoping that their findings could also help to identify patients who could participate in clinical trials for potential new dementia-related disease treatments.
“The problem with clinical trials is that by necessity they often recruit patients with a diagnosis, but we know that by this point they are already some way down the road and their condition cannot be stopped. If we can find these individuals early enough, we’ll have a better chance of seeing if the drugs are effective,” said Tim Rittman, PhD, senior clinical research associate at the University of Cambridge, and co-author of the study in a press statement.
