that supply nerve cells with nutrients and serve other protective functions, according to Verywell Health.Alzheimer’s is a degenerative condition that affects the brain, resulting in a progressive loss of memory and the onset of dementia.
"Our study argues that testing for the presence of brain amyloid along with blood biomarkers of astrocyte reactivity is the optimal screening to identify patients who are most at risk for progressing to Alzheimer’s disease," Pascoal said in the release.During the study, researchers tested the blood of more than 1,000 cognitively unimpairedMore than six million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer's, 73% of whom are 75 or older, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
"This can be a game changer [in] the field, since glial biomarkers in general are not considered in any main disease model," Bellaver added.Nearly two years ago, Pascoal and his team of researchers found that inflammation of brain tissue triggered the spread of"pathologically misfolded proteins in the brain and is a direct cause of eventual cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease," according to the release.