A new study could open the path for easier and earlier screening for Alzheimer’s disease, with the possibility of detecting the incurable neurodegenerative disease up to a decade in advance.
Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease is critical for effective treatment. However, there are no reliable methods for such detection at present. The study, done by researchers from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet and published April 12 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia—the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association—involves analyzing a type of glycan structure in the blood called bisected N-acetylglucosamine. This glycan structure is linked to the level of tau, a protein playing a key role in the development of severe dementia.
