Blood Test to Diagnose Dementia

There are 33 metabolic compounds that were associated with dementia and this helps to diagnose and provide treatment for dementia.

There are 33 metabolic compounds in the blood that are associated with dementia, finds a study published in the journal PNAS . The study findings would aid in the diagnosis and the treatment of dementia.

The studies have shown that out of 33 metabolites, seven of them are found in high quantities in patients with dementia when compared to healthy elders. These metabolites are toxic to the neurons which are a possible cause for dementia and the remaining 26 metabolites are found in lower quantities in patients. The 26 metabolites are believed to protect the neurons against damage by free radicals and help to maintain energy reserve and provide nutrition.

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According to Dr. Takayuki Teruya, at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University “Metabolites are chemical substances produced by vital chemical reactions that occur within cells and tissues,” “Our body normally keeps these levels in balance, but as we age and if we develop diseases like dementia, these levels can fluctuate and change.”

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In the study the blood samples of eight patients with dementia were analyzed and eight blood healthy elders were also analyzed. They also collected samples from eight healthy young people to use as a reference. The blood metabolites used in the research were found within the erythrocytes (red blood samples).

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The blood cells are difficult to handle as they undergo metabolic changes when left untreated. The researchers developed a way to stabilize the metabolites in the erythrocytes and this allows them to examine the relationship between the red blood cells activity and dementia.

“It could be that red blood cells deliver not only oxygen but also crucial metabolites that protect the nervous system from damage,”says Dr. Teruya.

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Prof. Yanagida.says “In the future, we hope to start some intervention studies, either by supplementing dementia patients with metabolic compounds in sub-groups B-E, or by inhibiting the neurotoxins from sub-group A, to see if that can slow, prevent, or even reverse symptoms of dementia,”

Source-Medindia

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