Closer To Early Alzheimer's Diagnosis
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A painless skin test for Alzheimer's disease? It may seem unlikely, but scientists at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI) have isolated a substance in skin cells that may provide doctors with a quick and accurate yes-or-no answer when they suspect a patient is showing early signs of the disease. The test could be performed easily by a nurse or medical technician in a doctor's office or outpatient clinic.

Many scientists have concluded in recent years that Alzheimer's effects are found throughout the body, not just in the brain. By testing for signs of Alzheimer's-related inflammation in skin cells called fibroblasts, the BRNI team has located a biomarker for the disease that can be tested without the invasive tests previously required, such as a lumbar tap.

Alzheimer's disease stimulates a change in the enzyme, MAP Kinase Erk 1/2. When fibroblasts are tested by exposing them to Bradykinin, a common inflammatory signal, the Erk 1/2 response in skin cells of Alzheimer's patients was sharply distinguished from the results in cells from age-matched controls. It was also differentiated from the skin cells from patients with non-Alzheimer's dementias, such as Parkinson's disease, multiple infarct dementia and Huntington's chorea.

Scientists have created an Alzheimer's Index that may contribute greatly to physicians' evaluations of patients with dementia. The index is a mathematical formula that allows the scientists to convert the test results for each patient to a single number. The results demonstrate that when the Alzheimer's Index agrees with the clinical diagnosis of the presence of Alzheimer's, there is a high probability of accurate diagnosis.