14 DAY TRIAL // Spanish scientists at the CSIC Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona now claim that, according to their investigations, a sudden drop in the mitochondrial DNA in a person's spinal fluid could be a signal for Alzheimer’s.
This biological marker manifests itself about a decade before a person starts displaying symptoms linked to said medical condition, Daily Mail reports.
Therefore, the Spanish researchers hope to develop a test that could make it possible for doctors to detect Alzheimer’s about a decade before symptoms emerge.
This means that Alzheimer’s patients would benefit from better treatment options, especially during the pre-clinical stage.
“This small study suggests that decreased mitochondrial DNA in cerebrospinal fluid may indicate the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s, but more work is needed to confirm this in larger groups of people,” Dr. Marie Janson of Alzheimer’s Research UK commented on the findings of this study.
The researchers wish to carry out further investigations into this issue, and hope that it will not be long until they manage to develop one such test.