For people with a certain sleep disorder, a simple blood test could help predict the development of dementia years before symptoms appear, a new study indicates.
Idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) causes people to physically act out their dreams while sleeping. The disorder is also associated with a very high risk of Parkinson’s disease and a related condition called Dementia with Lewy Bodies. This is a form of dementia that often causes memory and cognitive loss, as well as vivid visual hallucinations and movement difficulties similar to Parkinson’s.
McGill University researchers have discovered that a blood test, originally developed to detect Alzheimer’s disease, could also identify which patients with the iRBD sleep disorder are most likely to develop Dementia with Lewy Bodies. The blood test analyzes two proteins in the blood that serve as biomarkers for Alzheimer’s.
"Detecting dementia risk early could have significant implications for how doctors guide patients, helping them plan for the future and potentially allowing for more personalized, effective treatments,” said Dr. Ronald Postuma, a Professor in McGill’s Department of Neurology and a clinical researcher at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital).
