Innovative technique could reveal Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear

NAU researchers are experimenting with new technology that could help medical providers easily detect Alzheimer's disease early and prevent its advance. 

Led by Travis Gibbons, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and fueled in part by a grant from the Arizona Alzheimer's Association, the research project centers on the brain's metabolism-specifically, how it uses glucose, the sugar that fuels our thoughts, movements and emotions. 

The brain is like a muscle. It needs fuel to do work, and its gasoline is blood glucose. A healthy brain is greedy; it burns through glucose fast. But brain metabolism is slower when you have Alzheimer's. It can be viewed as a canary in the coal mine in the development of the disease." 

Travis Gibbons, assistant professor, Department of Biological Sciences, NAU

The brain is hard to access, so studying its glucose metabolism has long been a challenge for biological researchers. In the past, scientists have threaded catheters into veins in patients' necks to sample blood as it exits the brain, an invasive procedure that can't exactly be done at a routine checkup. 

But Gibbons and his team at NAU are pioneering a more accessible approach, thanks to new commercially available kits that can isolate and test microvesicles that circulate in the blood. 

"Some of these microvesicles originate in a neuron in your brain, and they're like messengers carrying cargo," Gibbons explained. "With these test kits, we can find what kind of cargo is in a microvesicle and run tests on it. It's been described as a biopsy for the brain, but much less invasive. That's the appeal of it." 

This technique, while still in development, could revolutionize how doctors detect and monitor Alzheimer's disease. Gibbons said the process is complex, requiring precision and patience, but the potential is enormous. 

In a previous study, Gibbons and his colleagues administered insulin through the nose, a method that allows the insulin to reach the brain more effectively than traditional injections. Afterward, his team sampled blood exiting those subjects' brains and found biomarkers indicating improved neuroplasticity. Now, they're working to detect those same markers in microvesicles. 

The research is unfolding in stages. First, Gibbons is testing the method in healthy individuals. Then, he'll compare results across people with mild cognitive impairment and people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, hoping to track the disease's progression through changes in glucose metabolism. 

"Brain function is notoriously hard to measure, but we're getting better and better at interrogating brain function through biomarkers," Gibbons said. "Soon, we might be able to help people protect their brain health and prevent Alzheimer's disease the same way we protect people from cardiovascular disease by prescribing moderate exercise and a healthy diet. That will help us manage the burden on aging people and society as a whole." 

Gibbons, a member of the Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium (AAC), is working on the study with Emily Cope, an NAU associate professor of biological sciences and fellow AAC member; K. Riley Connor, a Ph.D. student in biological sciences at NAU; and Philip Ainslie, a professor at the University of British Columbia's Centre for Heart, Lung & Vascular Health.