Every month, I’ll be highlighting Alzheimer’s research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from different websites, journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into understandable English and share them with you. Today: “Biomarker indicating neurodegeneration identified in the eye”
A little over a year ago, I discovered that there was evidence that a simple eye test might be able to detect amyloids on the retina. The link to my blog post is here – and at that time there was very little information on the procedure: https://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2019/08/alzheimers-research-right-now-3-what-do.html
A recent study (see link below) seems to be an extension of the research I was barely able to touch on. It seems there might be a link between what was originally a blood test and possibly finding the same proteins in the vitreous humor in the eye – that is, in the liquid that fills your eyeball to make it inflated and look sort of like a water balloon.
With almost 5.8 million Americans and 35.2 million Alzheimer’s victims worldwide – and the number is growing as science continues to extend the Human lifespan – the economic and emotional impact will only continue to grow as time passes.
Early detection might help to blunt some of the impact.
OK – let’s back up a little. How’s all of this tied to my dad’s suffering Alzheimer’s for at least four years?
It seems that, while the causes of Alzheimer’s are elusive, we do know certain things. One of those things is that the disease has SOMETHING to do with proteins called “β amyloids and tau proteins [which] are biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease…”
Huh? What are these things? OK – first of all they’re proteins. You’re made up mostly of proteins as is the hamburger you buy in the grocery store or the grilled/fried hockey pucks on bread with other stuff you can get at any fast-food joint on six continents. There a zillions of kinds of proteins though.
The two that end up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients are the ones I mentioned above. The first one, we’re not even sure where it comes from. Researchers speculate that a large molecule of protein may bind to other proteins on the surface of cells or help cells attach to one another. Cells like nerve cells (neurons) during early development are directed to where they’re supposed to go>
Afterwards, the protein is cut by enzymes to create smaller fragments, releasing some of them outside the cell. One of them appears to have a role in making nerve cells grow. The other one, the β amyloid, is likely involved in the ability of neurons to change and adapt over time.
“Tau proteins form part of a structure called a microtubule. One of the functions of the microtubule is to help transport nutrients and other important substances from one part of the nerve cell to another.”
However, in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, the proteins are “misfolded” and abnormally shaped. In this abnormal shape, they tend to clump together forming a plaque – sort of like the plaque that forms on your teeth and the dentist has to scrape off. Neither kind of plaque is good – in fact, the combination of faulty β amyloid and tau proteins appears to have something to do with the brain conditions leading to Alzheimer’s, messing with the brain’s delicate structure at a microscopic level.
Older research showed that these two proteins – together they’re called “biological markers” were evidence in blood and in a liquid that surrounds your spine (spinal fluid). While blood samples are pretty much a normal things for most of us, taking out samples of spinal fluid is a major and painful procedure.
This newer research has shown that these same two proteins can be found in the liquid that fills your eyeball. Getting that fluid of course…well, the image of jabbing my eyeball with a syringe is, to say the least, disquieting…
But, the amount needed is miniscule and is routinely collected during such things as cataract surgery, Lasix, and other perfectly unexciting eye procedures; so me getting shivering willies at the thought of needles and eyeballs is just a “me thing”!
The researchers conclude, “Neurofilament light chain (“strings” of molecules found in nerves) (NfL) is a promising biomarker of neurodegeneration in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood. This study investigated the presence of NfL in the vitreous humor and its associations with beta amyloid, tau proteins (as well as inflammatory cytokines and vascular proteins, apolipoprotein genotypes, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, systemic disease, and ophthalmic diseases.
“To run the tests, undiluted vitreous fluid was removed from the eyeball, and whole blood was drawn for genotyping. NfL, amyloid beta, total tau proteins, inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and vascular proteins in the vitreous were measured…[After the analysis, researchers discovered that] NfL was found in all 77 samples. NfL was not found to be associated with any eye conditions, any genetic disorder, mental health questionnaire scores, or any other disease …NfL levels were positively associated with increased vitreous levels of β amyloid and several tau proteins…NfL was not associated with patients’ clinical eye condition. [It was ONLY related to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease]."
I’m looking to see if I can get into a further study regarding this test!
Resources: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200921135403.htm, https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures#:~:text=More%20than%205%20million%20Americans%20of%20all%20ages%20have%20Alzheimer's,with%20Alzheimer's%20dementia%20in%202020, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia, https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/app/, https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers-disease/article/tau-protein-and-alzheimers-disease-whats-connectionImage: https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/web/fileadmin/_processed_/e/1/csm_shutterstock_142671010_4683b6bf13.jpg
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