Researchers at the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases are studying midlife testing for early-onset dementia with blood-based biomarkers to see if they can detect disease activity up to 20 years before symptoms appear.
The tests are available clinically and soon will be tested locally at the Glenn Biggs Institute, alongside advanced imaging such as amyloid and tau PET scans and cerebrospinal fluid testing. The institute also is exploring emerging genetic treatments for dementias, including early-onset Alzheimer’s, with multiple trials underway.
“Dementia is a clinical syndrome in which a person develops progressive cognitive changes from their prior baseline,” said Jeremy Tanner, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at UT San Antonio and the Biggs Institute. “When these changes begin to affect daily function, that’s when mild cognitive impairment progresses to dementia.
“When Alzheimer’s occurs earlier in life,” he said, “people are often at the peak of their careers or raising young families. It’s something that can be missed or misdiagnosed, and by the time it’s recognized, the disease may already be advanced and progressing rapidly.”
Fortunately, researchers now have more precise ways than ever before to detect Alzheimer’s disease earlier, including with blood-based biomarkers like p-tau217.
Read the full article at the UT Health San Antonio Newsroom.