Recent research has identified a protein in the blood that could be a good indicator of the severity of brain disease. The protein, called Clusterin, is thought to affect the size of the human brain causing it to shrink, which can rapidly increase the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study was carried out by the Erasmus MC University in Rotterdam and included 1000 people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Those individuals with the highest levels of Clusterin also had the most severe cases of Alzheimer’s disease. The findings, which are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, also suggest that higher levels of Clusterin did not appear before the onset of Alzheimer’s meaning it might not be suitable as an early warning sign.
Dr Marie Janson, from the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: "A blood test to detect Alzheimer’s is a key goal of worldwide dementia research and these findings tell us more about the proteins a test may need to spot. An accurate, reliable test will help us develop new treatments by revealing who would benefit most and at what stage."