{"id":381,"date":"2026-05-29T14:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=381"},"modified":"2026-05-29T14:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:36:00","slug":"ucsf-studies-blood-test-for-cognitive-impairment-floodgates-are-about-to-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=381","title":{"rendered":"UCSF studies blood test for cognitive impairment: ‘Floodgates are about to open’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

A first-of-its-kind study from UC San Francisco published Thursday found a simple blood test for middle-aged adults may indicate who is more likely to show diminished cognition even without any dementia symptoms.<\/p>

Read more Billionaire\u2019s $2B insurance fraud scheme paid for private jets, dating services<\/a><\/p><\/div>

\"\"<\/div>

Alzheimer\u2019s disease is a degenerative neurological condition that remains a top cause of death in the U.S. There\u2019s increasing pressure to unlock who is at risk for the disease as its prevalence is growing: Cases are expected to nearly double by 2060, from a current estimate of 7.4 million cases to 13.8 million among people age 65 and older, according to a \u00a0by the Alzheimer\u2019s Association.<\/p><\/div>

<\/div>

While the condition is mainly diagnosed in elderly individuals, researchers know the disease actually starts to develop in the brain decades before the first symptoms show up. But identifying those early developments and who at ages 40 to 50 is on a path to being diagnosed with the disease largely remains a mystery.<\/p><\/div>

Dr. Kristine Yaffe, the senior author of the study and vice chair in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, told SFGATE by phone Wednesday that, currently, diagnosing Alzheimer\u2019s disease means looking at clinical symptoms in addition to sometimes costly medical scans or painful tests like a spinal tap. But in recent years, physicians have been able to detect key proteins linked to Alzheimer\u2019s disease via a blood draw.<\/p><\/div>

\u201cThis idea of being able to get a blood test for Alzheimer\u2019s is just a huge breakthrough,\u201d Yaffe said.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

The problem with this method is that for young, unsymptomatic patients, researchers aren\u2019t quite sure what high levels of these\u00a0biomarkers mean in the long term. And now more companies are marketing the tests directly to those nervous about dementia risk.<\/p><\/div>

<\/div>

\u201cThe floodgates are about to open,\u201d she said. \u201c\u2026 There\u2019s a lot of people doing direct-to-consumer marketing.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

In order to help physicians better understand these test results for younger patients, Yaffe and her team examined data from 1,350 individuals who are part of the long-running Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study (CARDIA), running since 1983. The data was from year 35, or 2020-2022.<\/p><\/div>

As the individuals headed into midlife, generally thought to be ages\u00a045-65,\u00a0Yaffe and the team wanted to see if those with key\u00a0biomarkers for Alzheimer\u2019s disease also had noticeable cognitive differences. The mean age of those studied was 61, with 58% women and 42% men involved. The cohort racial makeup was 55% white and 45% Black.<\/p><\/div>

<\/div>

The team used a blood test to measure key biomarkers linked to Alzheimer\u2019s disease including tau proteins and amyloid plaque. While 6% of participants had a high level of tau and amyloid, they found from 4% to 15% of the study individuals had signs of high levels of at least one of the biomarkers, indicating a \u201cpositive\u201d sign.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

They then administered cognitive tests to all study participants to see if they could spot any differences. They found those who tested positive for at least one of the biomarkers had noticeable differences compared with those who tested negative.\u00a0<\/p>

Read more California\u2019s first spelling bee champion puts her title to work every day in SF<\/a><\/p><\/div>

The positive group had worse processing speed, which is how long it takes for someone to absorb and respond to new information, and also tested lower on executive function tests, which look at how a person manages everyday tasks like making plans.<\/p><\/div>

\u201cThese weren\u2019t huge differences, but still it was interesting that we\u2019re able to find this,\u201d Yaffe said.<\/p><\/div>

<\/div>

Importantly, five years after the year-35 results, the researchers found the positive individuals were at significantly higher risk for a major decline in cognitive skills. They were from 2.5 to 4 times more likely to have a rapid decline in verbal memory and 3 to 4 times more likely to have an accelerated decline in their processing speed, a known risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p><\/div>

Yaffe\u00a0emphasized that these people were not yet showing signs of clinical Alzheimer\u2019s disease and they will need to be followed to see if they ultimately develop the condition. She also highlighted that there are many ways to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease and dementia, including adopting a healthy lifestyle and avoiding tobacco and alcohol.<\/p><\/div>

Xue Zhong, an assistant professor in the Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said the study may be helpful for clinicians as it wasn\u2019t limited to patients at a memory clinic but rather used a broader sample of people in a community. But\u00a0Zhong said the study still had limitations, such as only measuring\u00a0biomarkers once.<\/p><\/div>

<\/div>
\n
\"image\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>

The Bay Area’s best free newsletter.<\/div><\/h2>
Stay informed, and entertained.<\/div><\/div><\/div>