It may soon be possible to learn whether someone has Alzheimer’s disease before they show symptoms by examining the bacterial makeup in their intestines, according to a Washington University School of Medicine study.
Published June 14 in Science Translational Medicine, the study looked at the gut microbe community, called the microbiome, of 164 participants. Markedly different bacterial species were found in 49 participants, who were deemed at higher risk of developing dementia based on brain scans and cerebrospinal fluid.
Previous studies have made the connection between dysbiosis, or imbalance, of the gut microbiome and Alzheimer’s disease, though research remains unclear on whether a shift in the microbiome causes the disease or if the disease leads to a change in the bacterial composition. However, the new findings support that measures can be taken to delay symptom onset….