Measuring levels of certain antibodies may improve diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, say researchers at the Medical College of Georgia and Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta.They studied leukocytes -- white blood cells that are part of the immune system -- in 33 Alzheimer’s patients and 42 healthy people. They found that leukocytes in Alzheimer’s patients had four times higher levels of markers for amyloid-b peptide and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE).The findings could help scientists develop a method for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, when treatment has the most potential to help. It could also lead to a way to identify people at risk of the disease and to the development of a new treatments.The study results lend support to the theory that autoimmunity and resulting inflammation play a major role in Alzheimer’s.The study will appear in the September issue of the Neurobiology of Aging.
