Researchers led by NYU Langone Health have discovered key blood biomarkers that could pave the way for early detection and better treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The study unravels sex-specific differences and offers new hope for combating this debilitating condition.
In a new study, researchers led by NYU Langone Health have made significant strides toward developing a blood test for early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, could revolutionize diagnostics and treatment strategies for this debilitating condition.
The study revealed that declining blood levels of acetyl-L-carnitine and free carnitine, two naturally occurring molecules in the body, track closely with the worsening of Alzheimer’s disease. The decline was particularly evident in women, with levels dropping gradually as cognitive impairment progressed from mild to severe. In men, significant declines were observed only in acetyl-L-carnitine.
“Our findings offer the strongest evidence to date that decreased blood levels of acetyl-L-carnitine and free carnitine could act as blood biomarkers for identifying those who have Alzheimer’s disease, and potentially those who are at greater risk of developing early dementia,” study lead investigator Betty Bigio, a research assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said in a news release. “The results also might explain the differences by sex in Alzheimer’s disease, with more women than men having dementia”
The researchers analyzed data from 93 volunteers diagnosed with varying degrees of cognitive impairment and 32 cognitively healthy individuals.
By closely linking blood levels of acetyl-L-carnitine and free carnitine to increased amyloid beta and tangled tau protein levels — long-standing markers of Alzheimer’s severity — the team achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 93% when combining traditional cerebrospinal fluid tests with blood molecule levels.
“Because declines in acetyl-L-carnitine and free carnitine tracked closely with the severity of Alzheimer’s disease, the molecular pathways involved in their production offer other possible therapeutic targets for getting at the root cause of the disease and potentially intervening before permanent brain damage occurs,” added senior study investigator Carla Nasca, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Six million Americans, most of whom are over the age of 65 and predominantly women, are currently estimated to be living with some form of Alzheimer’s disease. The study’s promising results have profound implications for early detection and intervention, potentially reducing the disease’s progression via non-invasive methods.
Nasca emphasized the need for further research to understand the molecular pathways controlling acetyl-L-carnitine production. She noted the potential for developing a blood test to track Alzheimer’s progression more easily than current methods, which involve painful and risky spinal taps.
As the team continues to explore these findings, there is hope this research could lead to more effective early interventions and therapeutic approaches, directly addressing the urgent and growing Alzheimer’s crisis.