Summary: A McGill University study found that a prototype Alzheimer’s biomarker blood test accurately predicted dementia with Lewy bodies up to four years in advance in people with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder.
Key takeaways:
- The NeuroToolKit blood assay, developed by Roche for Alzheimer’s detection, also identified patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder likely to develop dementia with Lewy bodies.
- The test measured plasma levels of Aβ40, Aβ42, and pTau181, and was nearly 90% accurate in predicting future dementia onset.
- Researchers followed 150 patients over several years, collecting baseline blood data and tracking neurodegenerative outcomes annually.
A blood test in people with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder could help predict the development of dementia years before symptoms appear, a study suggests.
REM sleep behavior disorder is also associated with a very high risk of Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. McGill University researchers have discovered that Roche Diagnostics International Ltd’s NeuroToolKit, a prototype assay panel of neurodegeneration, which looks for plasma Aβ40, Aβ42, and pTau181 levels and originally developed to detect Alzheimer’s disease, could also identify which patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder are most likely to develop dementia with Lewy bodies.
“Detecting dementia risk early could have significant implications for how doctors guide patients, helping them plan for the future and potentially allowing for more personalized, effective treatments,” says Ronald Postuma, MD, a professor in McGill’s Department of Neurology and a clinical researcher at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital), in a release.
Researchers followed 150 idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder patients, testing their blood for the biomarkers and tracking their health annually. The blood test, taken four years before, predicted dementia in almost 90% of the patients who later developed the disease.
This study also suggests the early stages of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s have more in common than previously thought.
“Our findings suggest that Alzheimer’s treatments could also be tested in patients with this sleep disorder. Perhaps, if treatments start early enough, dementia with Lewy bodies can be prevented,” says first author Aline Delva, MD, PhD, who was a research fellow at The Neuro during the study, in a release.
The research team plans to expand the study to confirm how well the test can predict dementia risk in patients with diagnosed Parkinson’s disease, as well as other populations at risk for dementia with Lewy bodies.
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