Can 21,000 plasma samples help untangle mixed dementia? Alzheimer’s disease often overlaps with other causes of cognitive decline. A new proteomics project aims to untangle that mixture and help researchers identify the right patients for future clinical trials. Written byGustav Ceder

Can 21,000 plasma samples help untangle mixed dementia? Alzheimer’s disease often overlaps with other causes of cognitive decline. A new proteomics project aims to untangle that mixture and help researchers identify the right patients for future clinical trials. Written byGustav Ceder https://www.drugdiscoverynews.com/can-21-000-plasma-samples-help-untangle-mixed-dementia-17578?utm_campaign=DDN_Newsletter_Dose&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9nM2ELZb_5s2du1zQAioZEk384NToF7mOrerO7vkoAew8bppl6VIvKWoWN_4SUej85gWwJ-yMSD5JekWrJVN1yyvoRRg&_hsmi=443231356&utm_content=443231356&utm_source=hs_email A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease does not necessarily explain everything happening in a person’s brain. Amyloid plaques accumulate between neurons, while tau tangles form inside them. But these changes can coexist with vascular damage and other abnormal protein deposits. When multiple disease processes contribute to a person’s dementia, the condition is known as mixed dementia. People with similar symptoms may have different combinations of underlying diseases, potentially influencing how they respond to a drug. “Typically, more than just Alzheimer’s disease is contributing to their dementia,” said Sterling Johnson, a dementia researcher at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.