The mice were genetically altered to exhibit aspects of the disease and their urine, alongside that of normal mice, was tested – first by mice and then later by machine. The findings suggest that by reducing this inflammation, progression of the disease could be halted.
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Scientists now believe that is likely AD treatments will prove more effective when applied during the early stages of the disease, before it has a chance to cause irrevocable damage.
These mice had a urine odor distinct from the urine of mice who were not given the chemical.
In what could lead to a non-invasive tool for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers have identified an odour biomarker that can be used to predict the development of the debilitating brain disorder.
In work carried by the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers have recognized a set of urine odors that differentiate mice with Alzheimer’s disease from controls.
According to new research, the answer to that question seems to be yes – at least to mice. People with Alzheimer’s typically experience a breakdown in communication between nerve cells in the brain, which the inhibitor helped prevent. Although most patients with Alzheimer’s disease are 65 and older, this condition is not a normal part of aging, Alz reported.
Because Alzheimer’s is a disease unique to humans, the mouse models are created to study the disease further.
Scientists studied three separate mouse models in the study.
It was found each strain of APP mice produced urinary odour profiles that could be distinguished from those of control mice.
Commenting on the study, Doug Brown, Director of Research at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “The findings of this study are interesting, but it is too early to tell if they can help us to develop ways to identify people with Alzheimer’s disease before memory symptoms appear”.
The differences in odor signature between the APP and control mice were not due to different compounds, but to differences in concentrations of the same compounds.
The difference in odour was detectable long before researchers could measure any differences in the mice’s brains, where cognitive plaque build-up normally reveals Alzheimer’s. That suggests the odour is related more to the presence of the genes rather than to the development of the brain disease itself.
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Although the results have so far only been seen in animal models and extensive further research is needed in humans, the research could point to a new method of detecting the disease earlier, possibly before the onset of brain decline. “In the last few years, scientists in Southampton have been at the forefront of research into the role of the immune system in Alzheimer’s, so it is encouraging to see this study taking these ideas forward by identifying a specific mechanism that could be a target for future treatments”.
