MRIs show brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s years in advance
A thickening cortex, as shown in MRIs, preceded amyloid-beta accumulation, a known hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, by up to seven years.
A team of researchers from the Altered Molecular Mechanism in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia laboratory identified elevated levels of the protein meprin-β in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. This discovery, published in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, suggests a possible relationship between meprin-β and beta-amyloid, a hallmark of the disease.
Meprin-β is an enzyme that can exist in different forms, and the researchers specifically analyzed its mature, active form. The study found that this active form of meprin-β increases in the more advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, while no such increase was observed in the early stages. Additionally, the researchers detected an increase in the messenger RNA (MEP1B) responsible for producing meprin-β at intermediate and advanced stages.
The elevated levels of active meprin-β in cerebrospinal fluid, obtained through lumbar puncture, could potentially serve as an indicator of the disease's progression.
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