A new test could reveal Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear
Scientists at Northern Arizona University are developing a promising new way to detect Alzheimer’s disease earlier than ever before—by tracking how the brain uses sugar. Using tiny particles in the blood called microvesicles, researchers may soon be able to gather brain-specific information without invasive procedures. If successful, this approach could transform Alzheimer’s diagnosis, monitoring, and even prevention, much like how doctors manage heart disease today.
Researchers at Northern Arizona University (NAU) are testing a new approach that could make it easier for clinicians to spot Alzheimer’s disease sooner and slow its progression.
The project is led by Travis Gibbons, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. Supported in part by a grant from the Arizona Alzheimer’s Association, the work focuses on brain metabolism and how the brain uses glucose, the sugar that powers thinking, movement, and emotion.
“The brain is like a muscle,” Gibbons said. “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.”
Tracking Brain Glucose Metabolism Without Invasive Procedures
Because the brain is difficult to reach, measuring glucose metabolism has historically been tough for researchers. In earlier studies, scientists sometimes inserted catheters into veins in a patient’s neck to collect blood as it left the brain. That kind of invasive sampling is not something that can be done during a routine checkup.
Gibbons and his NAU team are now pursuing a simpler option using commercially available kits designed to isolate and analyze microvesicles circulating in the bloodstream.
“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.”
Microvesicles as a Potential “Biopsy for the Brain”
The method is still being developed, but it could reshape how Alzheimer’s is detected and followed over time. Gibbons said the workflow is demanding and requires careful technique and patience, yet the possible payoff is significant.
In an earlier study, Gibbons and colleagues delivered insulin through the nose, which helps it reach the brain more effectively than standard injections. After that, the team collected blood leaving the brain and identified biomarkers linked to improved neuroplasticity. The group is now trying to find those same biomarkers in microvesicles.
Study Stages From Healthy Volunteers to Alzheimer’s Patients
The research is moving step by step. Gibbons is first validating the approach in healthy participants. Next, he plans to compare findings among people with mild cognitive impairment and people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s to see whether shifts in glucose metabolism can help track how the disease progresses.
“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 conducting 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.
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