New Alzheimer’s blood test may determine who is at risk of dementia: 'Could be game changer'

A blood test may help identify individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s before they show any signs of disease, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Only patients whose brains showed a combination of "abnormally reactive" astrocytes and high accumulations of amyloid — one of the proteins that is linked to Alzheimer’s — went on to develop cognitive symptoms of the disease, per the study findings. The role of inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease has been the focus of many ongoing clinical trials.  Amy McGorry is a contributing health writer for Fox News Digital. Follow her on Twitter @amymcgorry.

"This puts astrocytes at the center as key regulators of disease progression, challenging the notion that amyloid is enough to trigger Alzheimer’s disease," senior author Tharick Pascoal, M.D., PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said in a news release.