UC San Diego researchers found a blood-based biomarker can predict a woman’s risk of developing dementia as many as 25 years before symptoms appear, according to a paper published Tuesday.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, found higher levels of phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217) — a protein linked to the brain changes seen in Alzheimer’s disease — were “strongly associated with future mild cognitive impairment and dementia among older women who were cognitively healthy at baseline, meaning at the start of the study before any memory or thinking problems were detected,” a UCSD statement read.
“Our study suggests we may be able to identify women at elevated risk for dementia decades before symptoms emerge,” said Aladdin H. Shadyab, first author of the study and UCSD associate professor of public health and medicine. “That kind of long lead time opens the door to earlier prevention strategies and more targeted monitoring, rather than waiting until memory problems are already affecting daily life.”…