VOA健康报道2024--Large Study Details Years of Brain Changes in Alzheimer’s Patients

Large Study Details Years of Brain Changes in Alzheimer’s Patients

A long-term study in China has shown that a series of changes take place in the brains of people who get Alzheimer's disease long before they present signs of the sickness.

The large study followed middle-aged¹ and older adults for 20 years. The individuals were examined on a regular basis during that period. The researchers used brain imaging, spinal² fluid checks and other tools to collect data.

The researchers reported that the study subjects who later developed Alzheimer's showed high levels of disease-linked protein in their spinal fluid. The higher levels were recorded as much as 18 years before the patients were identified as having Alzheimer's.

Then every few years, the study detected another so-called biomarker of coming trouble.

Scientists still do not know exactly how Alzheimer's forms. The disease slowly destroys the brain, interfering³ with the ability to think. Alzheimer's patients develop proteins called beta-amyloid and tau, which over time build up into plaques⁵ that block brain processes.

The new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, offers a timeline for how these proteins develop.

The study's importance "cannot be overstated," said Dr. Richard Mayeux, an Alzheimer's specialist at Columbia University who was not involved in the research.

"Knowledge of the timing⁶ of these physiological⁷ events is critical" for testing new ways of treating and maybe even preventing Alzheimer's, he wrote in a piece published alongside the study report.

Scientists already knew that in rare, genetic⁸ forms of Alzheimer's that affect young people, a poisonous form of amyloid starts developing about 20 years ahead of symptoms. At some point after that, tau develops as well.

The new findings show the order of such biomarker changes common to age-related Alzheimer's.

Researchers with Beijing's Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders⁹ compared 648 people who were later found with Alzheimer's to an equal number who remained healthy. The amyloid finding in future Alzheimer's patients was the main discovery.

Differences in tau were found next, followed by a marker of trouble in how neurons communicate. A few years after that, the study found differences in brain shrinkage and cognitive¹⁰ test scores between the two groups.

"The more we know about viable¹¹ Alzheimer's treatment targets and when to address them, the better and faster we will be able to develop new therapies and preventions," said Claire Sexton, director of scientific programs with the Alzheimer's Association. She noted¹² that blood tests are coming soon that promise to also help by making it easier to find amyloid and tau.

More than 6 million Americans, and millions more worldwide, have Alzheimer's. There is no cure.

But last year, Leqembi became the first approved drug that could slow the worsening of early Alzheimer's for a few months. The drug works by clearing away some of the amyloid protein. Other drugs are being developed to target tau.

Words in this Story

detect - v. to discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of something

plaque⁴ - n. (medical) a histopathologic lesion of brain tissue that is characteristic of Alzheimer's disease and consists of a dense¹³ proteinaceous core composed primarily of beta-amyloid that is often surrounded and infiltrated¹⁴ by a cluster of degenerating¹⁵ axons and dendrites

physiological - adj. of or relating to the organic processes and phenomena¹⁶ of an organism or any of its parts or of a particular bodily process

cognitive - adj. of, relating to, being, or involving conscious intellectual activity (such as thinking, reasoning, or remembering)

viable - adj. capable of working, functioning, or developing adequately

therapy - n. treatment of an abnormal state of the mind or body

1 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

2 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

3 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

4 plaque   

n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板

参考例句：

• There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
• Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。

5 plaques   

（纪念性的）匾牌( plaque的名词复数 )； 纪念匾； 牙斑； 空斑

参考例句：

• Primary plaques were detectable in 16 to 20 hours. 在16到20小时内可查出原发溶斑。
• The gondoliers wore green and white livery and silver plaques on their chests. 船夫们穿着白绿两色的制服，胸前别着银质徽章。

6 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

7 physiological   

adj.生理学的，生理学上的

参考例句：

• He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。

8 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

9 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

11 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

14 infiltrated   

adj.[医]浸润的v.（使）渗透，（指思想）渗入人的心中( infiltrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The headquarters had been infiltrated by enemy spies. 总部混入了敌方特务。
• Many Chinese idioms have infiltrated into the Japanese language. 许多中国成语浸透到日语中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 degenerating   

衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denied that some young people today were degenerating. 他否认现在某些青年在堕落。
• Young people of today are not degenerating. 今天的青年并没有在变坏。

16 phenomena   

n.现象

参考例句：

• Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
• The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系，如果存在着任何联系的话。