February 2024 Alzheimer’s News

Alzheimer’s News February 2024
Scientists have uncovered a new potential diagnostic tool for recognizing early Alzheimer’s that offers a non-invasive, commercially viable technique for early disease detection in clinical settings. One of the most useful signs for detecting early Alzheimer’s is a blood protein called phosphorylated tau, or “p-tau.” “Previous work has demonstrated that high levels of “p-tau 217” in the blood are found in people with Alzheimer’s pathology in the brain,” Tara Spires-Jones, president of the British Neuroscience Association and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, said in a statement. “These findings show that a blood test can accurately detect the presence of the proteins that build up in the brain to cause Alzheimer’s Disease”, said Charles Marshall, a professor of clinical neurology at Queen Mary University of London. This diagnostic technique is already commercially available. “This is important because new drugs to treat Alzheimer’s are coming to the market and already approved in the U.S. work best in people in early stages of Alzheimer’s” said Spires-Jones.
You can learn more by going to www.alz.org/help-support/resources or the Alzheimer’s Helpline which is accessible 24/7 via 800-272-3900 and staffed by master’s level clinicians to assist with crisis situations, decision making, and disease information. You can find virtual dementia caregiver resources online at alz.org/covid19help. Tools and support are also available in Spanish.Want to learn more about the Alzheimer’s Association and what they do here in St. Louis? Visit alz.org and/or contact PUCC’s Faith Outreach Ambassador with the Alzheimer’s Association, Joyce Ruiz at joyceruiz7@gmail.com