This New Study Identified High Volumes Of Brain Lesions As An Early Predictor Of Dementia
According to the CDC, 5.8 million Americans lived with Alzheimer’s disease during 2020. Unfortunately, this number is expected to nearly triple and affect 14 million people by 2060.
This progressive neurological disorder begins with symptoms of forgetfulness. As time passes, Alzheimer’s causes “the brain to shrink and brain cells to die,”– resulting in detrimental memory loss and the inability to independently complete daily tasks, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Losing memories of your past and loved ones, coupled with an increasing dependence on others to take care of yourself, is many people’s worst nightmare.
Thankfully, a new study carried out by the University of Western Ontario discovered a way to spot and predict the likelihood of dementia development.
The research team, led by Austyn Roseborough, identified how specific brain lesions can predict the likelihood of cognitive decline.
In doing so, doctors may be better equipped to identify patients who are at a higher risk of dementia development.
Brain lesions, also known as “white matter hyperintensities,” are present in nearly sixty percent of adults once they surpass age fifty. Still, the greater the amount of these lesions indicates more severe cognitive outcomes.
By identifying these risk factors early, Roseborough believes more patients can be put at ease through the wider availability of treatment options.
“One of the scariest things for people is a dementia diagnosis. I do not know many diagnoses that are scarier for people, and there is very little you can do. But, a big problem is that a lot of research for therapeutics is aimed at people who already have dementia. By the time patients know they have it and are terrified, it is often too late for a lot of therapeutics,” Roseborough said.
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While the team’s research does point to greater possibilities for early intervention, this method may not be feasible for widespread application. After all, it is not realistic to assume that everyone in the population can access MRIs and brain scans to detect these brain lesions.
So, equipped with this study’s findings, Roseborough is now working to develop a more widespread detection method– a test to gauge blood-based biomarkers. The test, if successful, would allow doctors to identify high volumes of brain lesions much sooner and begin preventative treatments right away.
These biomarker tests would not only serve the older population either. Shawn Whitehead, a professor and collaborator on the study, discussed the impressive range of a potential biomarker test.
“This could be a game-changer because blood-based biomarkers that show changes in white matter hyperintensities could predict danger for twenty, thirty, or even forty years down the road. The whole idea here is that if I have these things happening in my brain that will predict dementia years from now, I cannot do anything about it unless I know it,” Whitehead said.
Would you seek testing once widespread availability of brain lesion biomarker identification becomes available to the general public?
To read the complete scientific findings, visit the link here.
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