The Alzheimer's puzzle: Study aims to ID biomarkers of disease for earlier detection

If every human lived to be 126 years old, they would all develop Alzheimer's disease at some point.

So says Dr. Mike Harrington of Huntington Medical Research Institutes in Pasadena. It's a calculation he bases on the rate at which people develop the fatal brain disease.

"Why do some people get it when they're 50, 60, 70?" asked Harrington. "That's what we're trying to treat."

Harrington has teamed with HMRI colleague Dr. Brian Ross to embark on a two-year project to identify biomarkers for the disease before symptoms occur.

The doctors are looking

The HMRI study, which was launched by the nonprofit biomedical research institute at the end of 2010, is based mainly on the results of Ross' prior research into Alzheimer's biomarkers. (The Associated Press)

for up to 120 people ages 70 to 90 to participate in the study - men and women who are healthy but at risk of developing Alzheimer's due to their age; those who are experiencing mild cognitive impairment; and those who already have dementia.

"It's possible that (the study) could be very important for them in terms of delaying the onset of Alzheimer's but we won't know that during the duration of the study," said Harrington. "Realistically ... we don't expect to help (study participants) individually. The goal is to gain information that will help our children. It's for later.

"(Doctors) don't have a treatment (for Alzheimer's), we don't have a cure, we don't have a good diagnostic method," he said.

"Dr.

Ross and I are probably not going to change that overnight."

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, irreversible form of dementia, affecting memory and thinking. According to the National Institute on Aging, about 5.1 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and for most of those with the condition, symptoms appear after age 60.

The HMRI study, which was launched by the nonprofit biomedical research institute at the end of 2010, is based mainly on the results of Ross' prior research into Alzheimer's biomarkers.

"His findings (in the '90s) were that you could put your head in a magnet and instead of getting an image of brain structures, you could look at the chemistry," Harrington said. "He discovered changes in that chemistry that were consistent with Alzheimer's disease.

"What we're focusing on now is to use that technology to pick up the damage before people have to lose their memory," he said. "We want to see the changes that happen before the memory is lost. You sure as heck aren't going to get (your memory) back."

Harrington says Alzheimer's typically takes about 20 years to develop, before there are signs of memory loss. An ability to track chemical changes in the body

In addition to tracking biochemistry, researchers have developed tests allowing doctors to observe brain activity, monitoring inflammation in the brain. If that inflammation is detected early, Harrington said, anti-inflammatories could be used to lessen it. (The Associated Press)

would potentially allow for earlier detection and treatment.

In addition to tracking biochemistry, Ross has developed tests allowing doctors to observe brain activity, monitoring inflammation in the brain. If that inflammation is detected early, Harrington said, anti-inflammatories could be used to lessen it.

During the study, Ross will measure brain capacity with magnetic resonance spectroscopy and through molecular studies, mainly from body fluids.

"If we can find biochemical change in inflammation, we can then change the medication. That could be potentially very exciting in terms of shedding light on a therapy approach that we can test on a larger population and over a longer period of time," said Harrington. "There is a trend now for many researchers to be focusing on pre-diagnostics of AD," said Debra Cherry, executive director of the Alzheimer's Association, California Southland Chapter. "There's a lot of emphasis on biomarkers and identifying people who are asymptomatic because then we can identify the disease and then treat it."

Over the course of the two-year study, participants will undergo psychological and neurological testing and be tested on memory and problem-solving. Urine, blood and spinal fluid also will be examined.

All of the examinations and cognitive testing will be repeated throughout the study. And participants will receive one of two treatments for Alzheimer's.

Although study participants will receive a stipend as compensation, Harrington warns against focusing on the money.

"It's what I call a serious token of our appreciation. No one would throw that money away, but it's not approaching a bribe level," he said. "Research funding is really hard to get. The benefit is an altruistic participation and research."

That altruistic approach is what Alzheimer's researchers hope for from participants.

"The research can't progress if people don't sign up for these studies," said Cherry. "We need many, many more people to become engaged in the research if we're going to find a cure or a treatment."

Because HMRI's study is just one of many, Cherry encourages people to look into TrialMatch on the Alzheimer's Association website, at www.alz.org/trialmatch.

"TrialMatch takes information from the family including where they live, whether they're diagnosed and then matches them to appropriate studies that have been vetted in their community," Cherry said.

"Clinical trials are not that sexy to most people," she said. "It really takes an increased awareness by the general public about how important they are so people take a chance and come out and move the science forward."

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The national Alzheimer's Association has created a list of 10 warning signs of the disease. For more information on these potential indicators - and how to distinguish them from similar but more standard age-related changes - go to www.alz.org/alzheimers

1 Memory loss that disrupts daily life.

2 Challenges in planning or solving problems.

3 Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure.

4 Confusion with time or place.

5 Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships.

6 New problems with words in speaking or writing.

7 Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps.

8 Decreased or poor judgment.

9 Withdrawal from work or social activities.

10 Changes in mood and personality.

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