There is no way to detect Alzheimer's disease in its early stages, especially at the point where the disease has not shown any symptoms as yet. But a team of researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, have created a method that may lead to a diagnostic test. The method has been used only in mice so far.
A chemical called amyloid beta is widely believed to be the cause of the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid beta is the main ingredient in the amyloid plaques that are found in the brains of people with the disease.
The Northwestern researchers have created a a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probe that is made of a magnetic nanostructure and an antibody that seeks out amyloid beta toxins called oligomers. This magnetized antibody then shows up on MRI scans of the as dark areas where there is a buildup of oligomers.
The new MRI technology detects the oligomers rather than plaques in the brain. By the time plaques have formed, beta amyloid oligomers have already started to attack nerve cells in the brain. Oligomers apparently may be present in the brain more than 10 years before plaques are detected.
"Non-invasive imaging by MRI of amyloid beta oligomers is a giant step forward towards diagnosis of this debilitating disease in its earliest form," said Vinayak P. Dravid, professor at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern and a co-author of the study.
"Using MRI, we can see the toxins attached to neurons in the brain," said William L. Klein, professor of neurobiology at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern and a co-author. "We expect to use this tool to detect this disease early and to help identify drugs that can effectively eliminate the toxin and improve health."
The research was published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.