Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that causes a progressive decline in connections between neurons. This impacts memory, reasoning, language and other brain functions. According to the Alzheimer Research Foundationaround a million people are affected by Alzheimer’s disease in France, including 60% women. The latter are approximately twice as likely as their male peers to develop this disease.
A team of Brazilian and American researchers have published a new study on the subject on January 7 in the magazine Nature. They discovered a new marker for the disease in women, paving the way for a blood test to detect it at an early stage. Their research could also provide explanations for differences in the onset of the disease in women and men.
A decrease in the marker proportional to the increase in symptoms
Scientists studied data from blood tests taken on 125 people. They observed the level of carnitine, an amino acid derivative that plays a role in cognitive functions. Previous studies had shown that the level of the amino acid associated with carnitine was lower in people affected by Alzheimer’s disease, both men and women.
This time, scientists were looking to measure the level of carnitine and its amino acid in people with an early stage of the disease. They confirmed previous work regarding the amino acid, but noticed a gender difference for carnitine. Women experience a drop in carnitine levels proportional to the progression of signs of dementia. Conversely, the carnitine level of men affected by the disease was similar to healthy people.
Menopause, depression and education level as other risk factors
In 2018, a study large-scale, also published in the journal Naturepointed to other possible reasons for these gender differences. What happens to hormones and proteins during menopause could increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Likewise, having been affected by depression during one’s life is a risk factor, and women are more affected than men by this mental illness. The level of education could also play a role in the occurrence of this dementia, and women have long been less encouraged than men to study and work.
A new diagnostic method?
The better we understand the molecular mechanisms at work in Alzheimer’s disease, the greater the chances of developing effective treatments at an early stage, researchers hope.
The discovery of new biomarkers of the disease in the blood could allow less invasive and more objective diagnostic techniques for early stages: used currently, lumbar punctures can be painful, while tests of memory and thinking are less accurate on the level of advancement of Alzheimer’s.
Source: www.topsante.com
