Scientists have identified six proteins in spinal fluid that can be used as biomarkers to detect Alzheimer's disease early.
Alzheimer's can be caused by toxic accumulations - plaques - of the beta amyloid protein. In a healthy brain, the cells are cleansed of such surplus products through lysosomes, the cells' waste disposal facilities.
"In victims of Alzheimer's, something happens to the lysosomes so that they can't manage to take care of the surplus of beta amyloid. They fill up with junk that normally is broken down into its component parts and recycled," said Katarina Kagedal, leader of the study at Linkoping University.
The researchers' hypothesis was that these changes in the brain's lysosomal network could be reflected in the spinal fluid, which surrounds the brain's various parts and drains down into the spinal column.
They studied samples of spinal marrow from 20 Alzheimer's patients and an equal number of healthy control subjects. The screening was aimed at 35 proteins that are associated with the lysosomal network.
"Six of these had clearly increased in the patients; none of them were previously known as markers for Alzheimer's," said Kagedal.
Kagedal hopes the discovery will contribute to early diagnoses of the illness or the six lysosomal proteins could act as targets for developing drugs for the disease.
"It may be a question of strengthening protection against plaque formation or reactivating the lysosomes so that they manage to break down the plaque," Kagedal said.
The study was published in journal Neuromolecular Medicine.
