WEDNESDAY, Nov. 5, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- A potential brain biologic marker for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease has been identified by scientists at Berlex Pharmaceuticals.
A receptor protein molecule called CCR1 that's usually found on the surface of white blood cells is also present in the brains of people with Alzheimer's, they say. They also found that increasing levels of CCR1 in the brain correlate with the progression of the disease.
The finding may eventually help scientists develop a specific brain imaging biomarker for early diagnosis and tracking of disease progression.
"Our research has demonstrated that CCR1 is evident in the brains of patients very early in the disease process, even in patients with mild cognitive impairment," lead investigator Dr. Meredith Halks-Miller, head of Berlex pharmacopathology, says in a prepared statement.
"CCR1 is present in swollen neuronal fibers that are associated with a molecule called amyloid beta 1-42, a sticky peptide that builds up and creates the 'senile plaques' that are the hallmark pathological sign of Alzheimer's. As the disease progresses, the number of abnormal CCR1-containing neuronal fibers also increases," Halks-Miller says.
The study findings appear in the November issue of the Annals of Neurology.
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