Researchers identify biomarker which could help dementia treatments

Researchers in the UK and Australia have identified a new biomarker which could support the development of new treatments for dementia.

Teams from Flinders University and the University of Aberdeen investigated the role a blood marker plays in temporal changes to cognition. The blood marker known as asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is associated with arterial plaque build-up and cardiovascular disease.

Despite extensive research, there is still no clear way to predict the onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Current research has largely focused on the build-up of the beta-amyloid protein in the brain and its link to disrupting communication between brain cells.

The study examined a total of 93 patients from the 1936 Aberdeen Birth Cohort, all of whom had underwent childhood intelligence tests at age 11 – which is thought to be a key predictor of intelligence and health in old age. Researchers measured ADMA levels when the participants were 63 years of age in the year 2000. They found that ADMA was associated with decline in cognitive performance after four years.

“Therefore the results of this study suggest, that ADMA, an easily measurable marker of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk, could be an early indicator of cognitive decline in old age – and possibly dementia,” says professor Mangoni, head of Clinical Pharmacology at Flinders University.

However, the small cohort of patients means that results from the study must be taken with a degree of caution.

“We should be cautious about emphasising the results with the 93 participants’ results here. We would know much more after repeating this study in a large-scale cohort, potentially tens of thousands of individuals, and perhaps a genetic MR (Mendelian randomisation) study,” Dr Deborah Malden says.

If the study findings are verified in large-scale testing, the researchers hope that this could help improve dementia care and also guide the development of new therapies that can reduce ADMA levels or slow the progression of cognitive decline in old age.