Predicting Dementia in Healthy Adults Using Blood Biomarkers

Recent research from the UK Biobank has identified four blood proteins that may help predict future risk of dementia in otherwise healthy adults. Published in Nature Aging (Feb 12, 2024), the study found that elevated levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light (NfL), growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), and latent-transforming growth factor beta-binding protein 2 (LTBP2) were associated with the subsequent development of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and vascular dementia.

These findings suggest that measuring these circulating proteins could provide an early, minimally invasive method for identifying individuals at higher risk of cognitive decline, potentially years before clinical symptoms appear. Early detection could facilitate timely preventive strategies, monitoring, and interventions to delay or mitigate dementia onset.

The study highlights the growing role of blood-based biomarkers in dementia research and reinforces the potential for integrating biomarker screening into routine health assessments for at-risk populations.

Source: Nature Aging, Feb 12, 2024.