New insights into frontotemporal dementia
The number of people attending dementia fall ill has been increasing for years. Effective treatments are not yet available. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which is also called Morbus Pick is known to be the second most common form of dementia. Researchers now have new ones Biomarker identified for the disease.
A research team has investigated what disturbances in the metabolism of the human brain occur in frontotemporal dementia (FTD). According to the experts, the new findings could help distinguish this difficult-to-diagnose disease from other age-related diseases. The research results were recently published in the journal “Progress in Neurobiology” released.
dementia with early onset
As in a current Message of the Medical University of Graz, dementia is a clinical syndrome with severe cognitive decline and has an enormous impact on the lives of the affected patients.
The number of people diagnosed with dementia is doubling every 20 years and is expected to reach more than 65 million worldwide by 2030. effective treatments doesn’t currently exist.
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), also known as Pick’s disease, is the second most common after Alzheimer’s disease second most common form of dementia and an umbrella term for a group of neurodegenerative diseases that manifest themselves in progressive behavioral, language, executive and motor deficits.
According to the information, FTD is one of the most common subtypes of dementia worldwide with an early onset before the age of 65. the Life expectancy after the onset of symptoms is estimated to be three to 13 years, with muscle wasting as a concomitant disease having a negative impact on them.
Disorders in the metabolism of the human brain
FTD patients have similar symptoms to people with Alzheimer’s disease, which is why they are often misdiagnosed. Therefore, there is a great need to identify biomarkers to diagnose FTD from Alzheimer’s and others types of dementia to distinguish as well as to further differentiate between FTD subspecies.
In order to find new approaches for the (early) detection and treatment of genetic and age-related dementia diseases and to better understand the causes of aging, it is important Biomarker to discover for these diseases.
In the newly published publication by the scientists from Med Uni Graz and a colleague from England, the first authors Fangrong Zhang and Anastasia Rakhimbekova from the working group of Tobias Madl at the Gottfried Schatz Research Center in collaboration with Tammaryn Lashley at University College London (UCL) elucidate that FTD and Alzheimer’s disease lead to metabolic disorders in the human brain.
The research team showed that metabolites in human brain tissue can be studied after death using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and that changes in the concentrations of certain metabolites make it possible to distinguish both FTD and its subtypes and Alzheimer’s disease from one another.
Arginine methylation a driver of FTD disease
In this context, Madl’s group found out that disturbances in the body’s own modification of proteins indicate that the so-called Arginine Methylation is a driver of FTD disease and may therefore represent a promising therapeutic target.
In arginine methylation, methyl groups (one carbon and three hydrogens) become one Protein added, this can change the function of the protein.
“In addition, our study serves as a proof of concept for our future plans, which aim to metabolic pathways to intervene therapeutically and elucidate the relationships between metabolism, FTD and Alzheimer’s disease”, according to Tobias Madl. Extensive studies are currently underway to better understand the basics of FTD and Alzheimer’s. (ad)
Author and source information
This text corresponds to the requirements of medical specialist literature, medical guidelines and current studies and has been checked by medical professionals.
Sources:
- Medical University of Graz: New biomarkers for dementia identified, (accessed: 01/30/2023), Medical University of Graz
- Fangrong Zhang, Anastasia Rakhimbekova, Tammaryn Lashley, Tobias Madl: Brain regions show different metabolic and protein arginine methylation phenotypes in frontotemporal dementias and Alzheimer’s disease; in: Progress in Neurobiology, (veröffentlicht: 26.12.2022), Progress in Neurobiology
Important NOTE:
This article contains general advice only and should not be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. He can not substitute a visit at the doctor.