Alzheimer's blood test involves DHEA

MONTREAL, May 4 (UPI) -- An Alzheimer's blood test measures the production of the brain hormone dehydroepiandrosterone, known as DHEA, Canadian researchers say.

"Until now, there has been no definitive diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's, other than postmortem analysis of brain tissue," Dr. Vassilios Papadopoulos, the senior study author and director of the McGill University Health Centre Research Institute.

"Our clinical study shows that a non-invasive blood test, based on a biochemical process, may be successfully used to diagnose Alzheimer's at an early stage and differentiate it from other types of dementia."

The researchers were able to promote the production of DHEA, using oxidation, in blood taken from non-Alzheimer's patients, but oxidation of blood from Alzheimer's patients did not result in an increase of DHEA, the researcher says.

"There is a clear correlation between the lack of ability to produce DHEA through oxidation in the blood and the degree of cognitive impairment found in Alzheimer's disease," Papadopoulos says.

"We demonstrated we could accurately and repetitively detect Alzheimer's disease, with small samples of blood. This test also allowed for differential diagnosis of early stages of Alzheimer's disease, suggesting this can be used as a test to diagnose the disease in its infancy."

The findings are published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.