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Protein signatures may one day tell brain diseases apart before symptoms

Distinguishing between Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and some dementias could aid early treatment

A pink brain faces to the left against a blue background. Brain diseases can be distinguished by proteins in the blood and spinal fluid a large new study suggests.

Proteins that flow through blood and cerebral spinal fluid carry signatures of brain and nerve diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS and forms of dementia, a large new study finds.

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By Tina Hesman Saey

A large-scale study of proteins in blood and cerebrospinal fluid could pave the way for improved blood tests to diagnose multiple brain diseases — and potential early warning signs of disease risk — researchers report July 15 in several papers in Nature Medicine and Nature Aging.