A team of researchers led by Betty Tijms directly from the Free University of Amsterdam published a few hours ago in the prestigious journal Nature Aging, a study capable of revolutionizing the world of medicine and beyond. Let’s find out what it is.
We’ll tell you straight away: this time it’s not about the sugar can predict Alzheimer’s. After analyzing carefully 1,058 proteins present in the cerebrospinal fluid of 419 subjects suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, the results obtained by the team are decidedly clear.
There are (at least) five variants of this terrible pathology and the peculiarity lies in the fact that each variant is different and fundamentally “unique”, with enormous repercussions on prognosis and therapy.
In fact, the variants differ from each other due to various factors, such as the impact on our immune system or the quantity of proteins synthesized. Naturally, the speed of progression also changes of the disease itself. With some examples everything will be clearer.
We can therefore find a variant in which a greater production of beta-amyloid stands out, or the (unfortunately) famous protein that tends to accumulate in the brains of people suffering from Alzheimer’s. At the same time, however, there is a specific type characterized not only by a reduced production of the same protein, but also by various brain repercussions such as interruptions in the blood-brain barrier and reduced growth of nerve cells.
These differences, as the authors themselves point out, have serious repercussions on the drugs used. In fact, today there is a tendency to use more or less the same treatments for each individual. However, after having identified all these variants, it will now be possible to use specific drugs.
After transmitted Alzheimer’s to micethis incredible and fundamental study will likely lead to a decrease and greater control of side effectsas well as better effectiveness in the long term.