Open AccessNew approaches for Alzheimer early detection
Author(s) -
Jordy Silva de Carvalho,
Marina Galdino da Rocha Pitta,
César A.S. Andrade
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
DOI - 10.5327/1516-3180.414
Subject(s) - dementia , neurodegeneration , disease , medicine , biomarker , neuroimaging , neuroscience , alzheimer's disease , differential diagnosis , neuropathology , pathology , bioinformatics , psychology , psychiatry , biology , biochemistry
Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is neurodegenerative and complex, characterized by the progressive loss of neurons, causing cognitive deficits. It’s the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, affecting about 35.6 million people worldwide. The high costs of invasive diagnostic techniques have limited early detection and intervention. Objectives: This review approached some new non-invasive diagnostic techniques involved in AD. Methods: The descriptors used were “Alzheimer’s Disease”, “Biomarkers” and “Early diagnosis”. PubMed database was used during the period of 2016-2021. Articles not related to the proposed theme were excluded, leaving 4 articles. Results: In the last few years, great advances have been made in diagnosing AD, such as brain NMR, CSF biomarkers, Pittsburgh compound B and brain PET scan. Beta-amyloid proteins (βA) and TAU in CSF are the only available markers for AD diagnosis in the clinic. The main limitations are early detection, differential diagnosis and progress disease report. Salivary biomarkers are being studied as a simple non-invasive diagnostic tool, with βA1-42/1-40 and pTAU being the most investigated in AD. Acting as a window on the brain, the retina can reflect the pathogenesis of the brain, with a focus on neurodegeneration and microvascular changes measured using optical coherence tomography technologies. Conclusions: Several criteria have been proposed for the diagnosis of AD, including biomarkers, biological fluids and brain changes detectable by imaging. Early detection of AD is vitally important, as it’ll allow patients to receive adequate and individualized information, care and support.