SEATTLE: Scientists believe a skin test could help spot hard-to-diagnose brain conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
A small sample or biopsy of skin can show up the same abnormal proteins that accumulate in brain tissue with these disorders, early studies show.
Currently, there are no definitive tests and people can go undetected for years before developing symptoms.
Researchers want to hasten diagnosis of these progressive diseases.
Doctors could then offer treatment at the earliest stages, before irreversible brain damage or mental decline has taken place.
Investigators have been hunting for suitable biomarkers in the body – molecules in blood or exhaled breath, for example, that can be measured to accurately and reliably signal if a disease or disorder is present…