{"id":147463,"date":"2017-01-19T18:53:54","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T18:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/discovered-a-protein-that-could-diagnose-dementia-early\/"},"modified":"2017-01-19T18:53:54","modified_gmt":"2017-01-19T18:53:54","slug":"discovered-a-protein-that-could-diagnose-dementia-early","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/discovered-a-protein-that-could-diagnose-dementia-early\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovered: a protein that could diagnose dementia early"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"mol-bullets-with-font\">\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Tau protein builds-up in the brain and causes spacial disorientation, experts say<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><strong>This symptom is experienced by many sufferers at the start of their dementia<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><strong>It&#8217;s the reason why three in five people with the condition wander off and get lost<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"\"><strong>Experts say the findings could lead to an early test and possible treatments\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"author-section byline-plain\">By<\/p>\n<p>Victoria Allen Science Correspondent For The Daily Mail<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"byline-section\"><span class=\"article-timestamp article-timestamp-published\"><br \/>\n  <span class=\"article-timestamp-label\">Published:<\/span><br \/>\n  12:00 EST, 19 January 2017<br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\n | <span class=\"article-timestamp article-timestamp-updated\"><br \/>\n  <span class=\"article-timestamp-label\">Updated:<\/span><br \/>\n  12:05 EST, 19 January 2017<br \/>\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"share-facebook\"><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-twitter\"><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-pinterest\"><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-gplus\">\n      <span class=\"g-interactivepost\"><br \/>\n        <a><\/a><br \/>\n      <\/span>\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"share-email\">\n<p>                <span class=\"wai\">e-mail<\/span><br \/>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"share-icons\" id=\"shareLinkTop\">\n            <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>     <span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"count-number\">           2<\/p>\n<p class=\"count-text\">View <br \/> comments<\/p>\n<p>    <\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Brain changes which cause people with Alzheimer&#8217;s to get lost could lead to a test for the disease before it strikes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Scientists have found for the first time that a protein called tau caused by Alzheimer&#8217;s clogs up navigational cells in the brain.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It is the reason why three in five people with the condition wander off and get lost, because of damage to their memory and sense of direction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">As one of the first signs of illness, the finding means a brain scan for older people could detect Alzheimer&#8217;s early.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It could also save the more than 1,000 people with Alzheimer&#8217;s who are reported missing every year.<\/p>\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-fba4265b5c3ce629\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" height=\"471\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Scientists have found for the first time that a protein called tau caused by Alzheimer's clogs up navigational cells in the brain (stock)\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" \/><br \/>\n      <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-fba4265b5c3ce629\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/19\/16\/3C4A091C00000578-0-image-a-22_1484844751186.jpg\" height=\"471\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Scientists have found for the first time that a protein called tau caused by Alzheimer's clogs up navigational cells in the brain (stock)\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Scientists have found for the first time that a protein called tau caused by Alzheimer&#8217;s clogs up navigational cells in the brain (stock)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Scientists found in mice experiments that tau protein disables nerve cells in the entorhinal cortex \u2013 one of the parts of the brain responsible for navigation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Animals with high levels of this protein perform worse in tests for spatial awareness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The study by Columbia University Medical Centre could lead to people being diagnosed using an MRI scan before they first show signs of Alzheimer&#8217;s, by failing to return home or getting lost.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Its lead author has said brain scans could be made available to all elderly people, while the findings could in future provide new hope for treatment, through brain stimulation or light therapy to reactivate the cells damaged by tau.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Dr Karen Duff said: &#8216;The scientists knew that toxic tau builds up in the area of the brain where grid cells are located in people who died from Alzheimer&#8217;s. Doctors knew that people with Alzheimer&#8217;s tend to wander and get lost.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"rotator-panels link-bogr1 linkro-ccox\">\n<li>\n<p>          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/19\/16\/3C49EC9300000578-0-image-a-7_1484843647786.jpg\" width=\"62\" height=\"60\" \/><span>Almost 50% of U.S. men have HPV, figures reveal &#8211; but just&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<p>          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/19\/15\/3C48C69C00000578-0-image-a-81_1484838631087.jpg\" width=\"62\" height=\"60\" \/><span>Teaching your child Mandarin could help them to play an&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<p>          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/19\/14\/3C48E1AF00000578-0-image-m-18_1484837553244.jpg\" width=\"62\" height=\"60\" \/><span>Former NHS director of mental health reveals how she was&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<p>          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/19\/00\/3C420E3D00000578-0-image-m-31_1484786640772.jpg\" width=\"62\" height=\"60\" \/><span>Pay people to work out, top medic tells health officials:&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n        <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;This is the first time we have found that both are connected. It means we could use tests of navigational ability or a functional MRI scan to help diagnose people with the earliest stage of Alzheimer&#8217;s disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;This could be used to test people at risk, and even administered to everyone over the age of 65.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">In one of the most tragic cases of dementia patients becoming lost, the body of 88-year-old Janet McKay was found on wasteland in Clydebank, Scotland, after she vanished from her home in 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Companies have come up with GPS technology allowing older people&#8217;s movements to be tracked by their relatives to keep them safe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The latest study, published in the journal Neuron, shows how sense of direction is affected by the hallmark tangles of protein which Alzheimer&#8217;s causes in the brain.<\/p>\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-b0c5aa213c17a7db\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" height=\"421\" width=\"634\" alt=\"It is the reason why three in five people with the condition wander off and get lost, because of damage to their memory and sense of direction, experts say\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" \/><br \/>\n      <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-b0c5aa213c17a7db\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/19\/16\/3C4A0A2200000578-0-image-a-23_1484844755048.jpg\" height=\"421\" width=\"634\" alt=\"It is the reason why three in five people with the condition wander off and get lost, because of damage to their memory and sense of direction, experts say\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">It is the reason why three in five people with the condition wander off and get lost, because of damage to their memory and sense of direction, experts say<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Researchers focused on excitatory grid cells, a type of nerve cell in the brain which fires in response to movement through space, creating a grid-like internal map of a person&#8217;s environment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Mice engineered to have more tau protein in their brains were worse at finding their way in spatial tasks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mol-factbox-title\">DRUG FOR DEMENTIA?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">A promising drug treatment for Alzheimer\u2019s that reduces the plaques thought to cause dementia was developed in November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Drugs that help to reduce the sticky amyloid plaques that form in the brain have been developed, but have severe side effects.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Medical experts hailed the advance as an important step forward in attempts to control the killer disease.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The drug called verubecestat is in a family of drugs called BACE1 inhibitors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The latest drug treatment, successfully underwent a phase 1 clinical trial \u2013 a trial which shows the drug is safe in humans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It is believed that, as in people, the protein affects their memory and ability to learn where they are going.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Eric Kandel, professor of brain science at Columbia University Medical Centre, said: &#8216;This study clearly shows that tau pathology, beginning in the entorhinal cortex, can lead to deficits in grid cell firing and underlies the deterioration of spatial cognition that we see in human Alzheimer&#8217;s disease.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Previous research has suggested these problems with navigation could flag up the signs of Alzheimer&#8217;s long before people are usually diagnosed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Scientists at University College London have invented a computer game, Sea Hero Quest, which involves navigating a boat around a fictional world, to gather feedback from online players into how dementia develops.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Dr Duff added: &#8216;Our findings suggest that it may be possible to develop navigation-based cognitive tests for diagnosing Alzheimer&#8217;s disease in its initial stages.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;And if we can diagnose the disease early, we can start to give therapeutics earlier, when they may have a greater impact.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">\n<p>            <!-- ad: http:\/\/mads.dailymail.co.uk\/v2\/us\/health\/none\/article\/other\/inread_player.html --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"social-links-title\">Share or comment on this article<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"bigLinks sc-icns cleared\">\n<li class=\"facebook\">\n<p>                                    <span class=\"wai\">e-mail<\/span><br \/>\n                                <\/a>\n                            <\/li>\n<li class=\"share\" id=\"shareLinkBottom\">\n<p>                                <\/a>\n                            <\/li>\n<li class=\"social-stats social-stats-pipe\" id=\"shareCountBottom\">\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"addCommentButton\" class=\"add-comment\">\n<p>                                <\/a>\n                            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>            <!-- NOTE: WARNING: render-partial is a function --><\/p>\n<ul class=\"rotator-panels\">\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/18\/15\/3C3E3B8200000578-0-image-a-52_1484755189685.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">EXCLUSIVE: Wynn Las Vegas removes all\u00a0Tom Ford beauty&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/18\/19\/3C3F631300000578-0-image-a-11_1484768472246.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">&#8216;Justice has been served&#8217;: Obama defies storm of criticism&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/18\/20\/3C3F6EF900000578-0-image-m-16_1484771114580.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">Obama uses his final press conference to issue extraordinary&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/17\/16\/3C35E89F00000578-0-image-a-19_1484669547107.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">&#8216;Why would you abandon America?&#8217; Newt Gingrich says&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/19\/10\/3C44FCF700000578-0-image-a-36_1484820450861.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">Life among the monkey hunters: The Amazon tribe that has&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/19\/04\/3C432EAB00000578-0-image-a-7_1484799428004.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">EXCLUSIVE: A hero&#8217;s welcome! The moment Trump makes a&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/18\/14\/3C3A1A4E00000578-0-image-m-24_1484751163729.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">Anti-Trump protester sets himself on fire outside The&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/18\/22\/3C401FCF00000578-0-image-a-77_1484776810886.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">EXCLUSIVE: Florida man charged with threatening to kill&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/18\/22\/3C40776D00000578-0-image-a-17_1484779512637.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">How Ivanka&#8217;s &#8216;quick conversation&#8217; with Michelle Obama turned&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/17\/09\/3C325CFC00000578-0-image-a-3_1484646460749.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">George Michael&#8217;s friend says people had &#8216;dragged&#8217; the&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/18\/23\/3C3E950800000578-0-image-m-41_1484783398319.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">What billionaires&#8217; dreams are made of: The most expensive&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"new shallow-ac mini link-bogr6 linkro-wocc\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/01\/18\/16\/3C3E22A600000578-0-image-m-4_1484755821868.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"115\" \/><span class=\"wocc bdrcc\">Female bodybuilder is thrown in jail in Iran for posting&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/f.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/furniture\/comments\/articles\/btn_add-your-comment.png\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>                            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/f.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/furniture\/comments\/articles\/icon_comments_74.png\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Comments (<span class=\"readerCommentsCount\">2<\/span>)<\/h3>\n<p>\n                                \tShare what you think\n                                <\/p>\n<ul id=\"rc-tabs\" class=\"js-links dm-tabs cnr5 cleared\">\n<li class=\"dm-tab dm-tab-on bdrgr5 cnr-bdr wogr5 link-wox js-active\">\n                            <span class=\"xogr5 tl\"><\/span><br \/>\n                            <span class=\"xogr5 tr\"><\/span><br \/>\n                            Newest<\/a>\n                        <\/li>\n<li class=\"dm-tab bdrgr5 ow-igr2-bx cnr-bdr xogr2 link-gr5ox\">\n                            <span class=\"xogr5 tl\"><\/span><br \/>\n                            <span class=\"xogr5 tr\"><\/span><br \/>\n                            Oldest<\/a>\n                        <\/li>\n<li class=\"dm-tab bdrgr5 ow-igr2-bx cnr-bdr xogr2 link-gr5ox\">\n                            <span class=\"xogr5 tl\"><\/span><br \/>\n                            <span class=\"xogr5 tr\"><\/span><br \/>\n                            Best rated<\/a>\n                        <\/li>\n<li class=\"dm-tab bdrgr5 ow-igr2-bx cnr-bdr xogr2 link-gr5ox last\">\n                            <span class=\"xogr5 tl\"><\/span><br \/>\n                            <span class=\"xogr5 tr\"><\/span><br \/>\n                            Worst rated<\/a>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The comments below have not been moderated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"bold pad5 wogr5 rc-info\">\n                        The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.\n                    <\/p>\n<p>            <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    Find out now<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tau protein builds-up in the brain and causes spacial disorientation, experts say This symptom is experienced by many sufferers at the start of their dementia It&#8217;s the reason why three in five people with the condition wander off and get lost Experts say the findings could lead to an early test and possible treatments\u00a0 By <a class=\"read-more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/discovered-a-protein-that-could-diagnose-dementia-early\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147463\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}