Marco Korcak
Professor Vejdemo-Johansson
MHC 223
September 27, 2021
Signs of Dementia can be detected in blood
The human brain is very complex and changes as a person gets older in age. Some individuals develop age-associated cognitive diseases while some age without pathological memory impairments and this issue has been an area of study. An article posted by the New York Post addresses the new research conducted by scientists from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases which reveals warning signs that could indicate impending dementia in blood. This was based on the peer reviewed research paper published and is significant because with the current state of medical knowledge, symptoms of dementia become noticeable when the brain is already massively damaged. Although age associated pathological memory impairments have been a large problem, new research can lead to medical professional’s being able to treat these issues in its early stages. The New York Post published an article titled “New research suggests signs of dementia can be detected in blood” which was written by Julia Musto. The article based its reporting off a research paper published by the scientific journal “EMBO Molecular Medicine”. The article stated that certain levels of microRNAs could be harbingers of dementia. This was mentioned because microRNAs are molecules that regulate and influence the production of proteins. After conducting research through the analysis of human data and mechanistic studies in model systems, scientists have identified a circulating 3-microRNA signature that reflects key processes associated with the ability of a cell to detect perturbation. The researchers looked at both young and healthy humans with already diagnosed patients in addition to animal and cellular disease models. The results of the research showed that in healthy individuals, levels of microRNAs correlated with mental fitness and individuals with a lower blood count performed better in cognition testing. Patients with mild cognitive impairment were found to have an increased blood level of the three microRNAs and 90 percent developed Alzheimer’s disease within two years. Overall, the article summarized the findings of the research article while briefly explaining the significance. “A microRNA signature that correlates with cognition and is a target against cognitive decline” is a research article published by a team of researchers from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases. The authors include Rezaul Islam, Lalit Kaurani, Tea Berulava and many more. The article was published on October 11, 2021, after undergoing extensive peer review and has received large media coverage since its publishing. The abstract of the article states that the goal of the research was to find an inexpensive and minimal invasive approach that could be used for screening to identify individuals at risk for cognitive decline. The researchers used an integrative approach that combined the analysis of human data and mechanistic studies in model systems to identify a circulating 3-microRNA signature that reflects key processes linked to neural homeostasis and inform about cognitive status. The scientists identified that expression changes in this signature represent multiple mechanisms deregulated in aging and diseased brain. The researchers aimed at identifying a molecular marker that correlates with subtle differences in the cognitive status in healthy individuals since molecular changes often occur years before clinical symptoms manifest and the diagnosis is made. In essence, the results from this experiment prove to be very crucial and informative which can lead to further studies and experiments being done. After reading the New York Post article and research article itself, it is evident that there are numerous similarities, but many discrepancies present as well. In terms of the general concept and results the article matched up with the research paper. The article published mentioned the findings but failed to accurately convey the process that was done in order to get the results. The article stated that MicroRNAs were examined but did not explain why. The researchers examined microRNAs and their signatures because the molecular markers show subtle differences well before clinical symptoms manifest and the diagnosis is made which can allow people to get treated earlier. When people get diagnosed, the brain is massively damaged and it is usually too late to have effective treatment so if it can be detected earlier, the chances of positively influencing the course of the disease increases. Moreover, the article mentioned the use of mice in the experiment but not the reasoning for this experiment. Mice were used to study the brain and blood, so the relevant model system was employed. Age-associated memory decline is a well-established and highly reproducible phenotype observed in laboratory rodents and in humans and affects similar brain regions. Additionally, circulating microRNAs common in mice and humans are comparable in expression and can reliably measure circulating microRNAs in living mice. The article published by the New York Post did not fully explain the significance of the experiments that were done or the reasoning behind them. In essence, there were similarities between the research article and the New York Post article, but the article did fail to mention very important aspects of the research process.
Works Cited
Islam, M. R., Kaurani, L., Berulava, T., Heilbronner, U., Budde, M., Centeno, T. P., Elerdashvili, V., Zafieriou, M.-P., Benito, E., Sertel, S. M., Goldberg, M., Senner, F., Kalman, J. L., Burkhardt, S., Oepen, A. S., Sakib, M. S., Kerimolgu, C., Wirths, O., Bickeböller, H., … Fischer, A. (2021, October 11). A microrna signature that correlates with cognition and is a target against cognitive decline. EMBO Molecular Medicine. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/emmm.202013659.
Musto, J. (2021, October 14). New research suggests signs of dementia can be detected in blood. New York Post. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://nypost.com/2021/10/14/new-research-suggests-signs-of-dementia-can-be-detected-in-blood/.
