New research suggests you can get Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms manifest.
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have discovered that a blocked waste disposal system in the brain may be one of the first warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
This blockage, which can be seen on regular MRI brain scans, can become visible before memory loss and other symptoms begin.
These blockages occur in small channels around blood vessels, called perivascular spaces, which help remove harmful waste from the brain, including proteins such as beta-amyloid and tau.
These two substances are often found in large amounts in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. When the drainage system becomes clogged, these toxins can build up and cause damage to brain cells.
The study was led by Associate Professor Nagaendran Kandiah from NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.
He explained that these clogged spaces, known as “enlarged perivascular spaces,” could help doctors detect Alzheimer’s disease earlier, simply by looking at brain scans that have already been done to monitor cognitive decline.
This study is especially important because it focused on Asian populations, which have been underrepresented in previous studies of Alzheimer’s disease.
The team examined nearly a thousand people in Singapore, including those with normal memory and thinking, and others with early signs of decline.
To better understand the link between blocked brain drains and Alzheimer’s disease, NTU scientists compared brain scans with blood tests and other signs of brain damage. They looked at people with mild cognitive impairment, which often precedes dementia, and compared them with people who had no memory or thinking problems.
They found that people with mild cognitive problems were more likely to have enlarged perivascular spaces than people with healthy brain function.
These clogged spaces were also linked to higher levels of beta-amyloid and tau in the blood – key warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
This study could play an important role in how Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed and treated. If doctors can spot these changes earlier, they may be able to start treatment earlier and potentially slow the progression of the disease.
