Scientists at the University of Los Angeles, California, USA, have recently discovered a way to mark the degradation and elimination of key receptors in brain tissue. This phenomenon is an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease leads to the death of cells in the brain’s memory center, causing the hippocampus region to shrink.
With this new method, it is now possible to detect the deterioration of brain tissue at the earliest stages. They utilize a chemical marker and a CT scanner. The researchers focused on measuring the quantity of a specific type of receptor that responds to the chemical serotonin. These receptors are abundant in cells within the hippocampus area and are highly vulnerable to the effects of Alzheimer’s.
The scientists noted a loss of receptors and other key memory cells of 49% in Alzheimer’s patients. However, they also observed a loss of 24% in some cases of mild cognitive impairment, which they consider to be an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease.
KHANG LINH
