RESEARCH BRIEF: Blood Biomarkers May Predict Risk of Future Cognitive Deterioration
Olivia Okereke, MD, MS, and colleagues at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), have demonstrated that a high ratio of amyloid ß peptides (Aß) 40 and 42 (Aß 40:42 ratio) may be a predictor of future decline in cognitive function, such as Alzheimer’s disease. These findings appear in the October 12, 2009, issue of Archives of Neurology.
Researchers measured the level of Aß in the blood of 481 healthy middle-aged Nurses’ Health Study participants. Beginning 10 years after the initial blood draw, women had cognitive testing three times, spaced out about every two years. Researchers found that higher plasma Aß 40:42 ratios in late midlife and increases in Aß 40:42 ratios 10 years later were significantly associated with greater decline in cognitive function later in life.
Previous studies have looked at Aß levels in more elderly populations. “By showing that there are earlier measurable risk markers of future cognitive decline, we have hope in the possibility of someday using blood biomarkers to find people at risk years before cognitive decline becomes apparent,” said Dr. Okereke, of the Division of Aging at BWH. “This is an important step in the effort to prevent and to provide early intervention against dementia.”
The National Institutes of Health funded this research.
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