The test, known as p-Tau 217, detects whether traces of Alzheimer’s disease are already taking root in my brain.
I’m only 45, after all, I tell myself. There is no history of early-onset Alzheimer’s in my family. Yet I do experience memory loss, or what’s popularly known as ‘brain fog’.
My phone is registering over fifty pickups a day because half the time I unlock the screen, then forget what I’m there for. But I put this down to age and exhaustion, not the possibility that my brain might already be on its way to irreparable decline.
Dr Sabine Donnai tells Sophie Morris:: ‘If we know this protein is in your brain, we can start doing something about it’ (Photo: Tom Pilston)My test was administered by Dr Sabine Donnai, the founder and CEO of VIAVI, which specialises in preventative health and, in particular, brain health. Dr Donnai has formerly held senior clinical positions at BUPA and Nuffield Health, but is more used to treating burnt-out international business leaders than jaded freelance writers.
The process is a straightforward, pain-free (assuming you don’t have a problem with needles) blood test. I sat on the clinic bed, held my arm out, and it was all over within minutes.
Dr Donnai compares it to the evidence that might be seen on a scan before someone has a heart attack. “You would have plaque formation in your arteries if you’re diabetic, or your blood pressure is high, or you’ve got high cholesterol,” she explains.
She explains that when the brain detects an irritant, it reacts to protect itself with these tau protein entanglements. Before, they could only be detected by an invasive lumbar puncture, a procedure that definitely wouldn’t be used on anyone without symptoms.
I’m also offered testing for GfAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein), which might show signs of Parkinson’s or general cognitive decline, and NfL (neurofilament light), a protein that is elevated in a number of brain conditions that aren’t Alzheimer’s, as well as head trauma.
This means that early detection gives people the chance to look at other factors, including environment, eating habits and lifestyle. Even those with a genetic risk for Alzheimer’s can reduce their chances dramatically through consistently changing daily habits.
Dr Donnai’s usual clients, the ultra-rich, come armed with the expectation they can pay for any future treatment, whereas I’ll be left with whatever the NHS offers.
He wrote that these may have been elevated by his thirty years of cycling around London. He can’t do anything to rewind that, but resolved to buy more eco-friendly shower products to reduce his exposure to toxins and microplastics.
The test is painless with results in two to three weeks (Photo: Tom Pilston)I am delighted, especially since all of the tests come back negative. This doesn’t explain my forgetfulness, but maybe a decade of poor sleep is the more likely culprit.
‘We can all lower our risk of dementia with lifestyle – and we don’t need an expensive test for that’
This surprises me, not least because Professor Schott is running his own trial of the same test. He hopes that this research will lead to diagnosing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia on the NHS, via blood tests, within five years. His trial aims to see whether measuring p-Tau 217 improves the rate of diagnosis for those with early dementia or progressive memory problems.
But he warns me that a positive test doesn’t mean that someone will develop dementia. “If you get a positive test, it’s potentially concerning but we don’t know quite what that means.” He has been following a healthy cohort born in 1946 for a decade. Of the 20 per cent who tested positive for Alzheimer-related proteins at 70, ten years later, very few are showing signs of dementia.
Just last week, Alzforum, a news and research site dedicated to the disease, reported that while 80 per cent of healthy people said they would want to know if they had related proteins on their brains, when it came to it, only 60 per cent chose to find out.
He points out that 30 – 40 per cent of cases of dementia in the UK are preventable – meaning they could be avoided if we tackle a group of 14 risk factors, including smoking, alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, hearing loss, obesity, diabetes, depression and air pollution.
Dr Donnai’s approach is to try to prevent people from getting ill before they show any symptoms. I mentioned Professor Schott’s concerns to her, and she was visibly frustrated.
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High homocysteine levels are associated with low levels of serum folate, which we get from leafy greens. It seems strange as I eat them several times a day. I’m advised to take an additional supplement.
I look forward to Professor Schott’s research identifying how useful the p-Tau and other tests might be in diagnosing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia before symptoms advance. Let’s hope that in under 15 years, when Dr Donnai says it could be time for me to test again, everyone has access.
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