A new study published in Nature Medicine has identified a promising biomarker that could enable earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease, potentially improving treatment outcomes. Scientists have found a way to detect the earliest stages of neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) development—a key hallmark of the disease—before it causes irreversible brain damage.

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the accumulation of two abnormal proteins: amyloid-beta plaques and tau-based NFTs. While amyloid-beta has long been a focus of research, studies show that NFTs correlate more strongly with disease progression. However, by the time these tangled proteins become visible in brain scans, cognitive decline is often well underway, limiting the effectiveness of treatments.

The new study, led by Dr. Thomas Karikari, PhD, focuses on detecting early tau protein structures—soluble tau assemblies—that precede full-blown NFT formation. Researchers successfully identified specific phosphorylation sites, p-tau-262 and p-tau-356, which serve as early indicators of NFT development. These findings suggest that monitoring these markers could help diagnose Alzheimer’s up to a decade before symptoms become severe.

Dr. Jennifer Bramen, a senior research scientist at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, who was not involved in the study, emphasized the significance of early detection. “Detecting Alzheimer’s disease before irreversible neurodegeneration could improve the efficacy of available treatments,” she told Medical News Today.

The study also demonstrated that these early tau aggregates disrupt neuronal function in mouse brain tissue, reinforcing their role in cognitive decline. Dr. Adrian M. Owen, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Western Ontario, highlighted the implications of this discovery. “The ability to identify early tau formations before they appear on a brain scan could be a game-changer in Alzheimer’s research,” he said.

Currently, Alzheimer’s is diagnosed through cognitive assessments and brain imaging, but these methods often detect the disease too late for effective intervention. The discovery of these early tau markers could pave the way for new diagnostic tests, potentially allowing doctors to intervene much earlier with targeted treatments.

As research advances, scientists hope that these findings will lead to the development of blood-based or cerebrospinal fluid tests to detect early Alzheimer’s indicators in routine clinical practice. With earlier diagnosis, patients may have a better chance of slowing disease progression and maintaining cognitive function for longer periods.

This breakthrough represents a significant step forward in the fight against Alzheimer’s, offering hope to millions of people at risk for the disease.