Blood Test for Alzheimer’s May Predict Dementia in Sleep Disorder
A blood test for Alzheimer’s may predict dementia risk in people with REM sleep disorder years before symptoms appear.
Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.
A blood test originally designed to detect Alzheimer’s disease may help identify people with a sleep disorder who are at high risk of developing dementia, according to a study from McGill University. The test could predict dementia years before symptoms emerge, offering new possibilities for early intervention.
Idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is a condition in which individuals physically act out their dreams. The disorder is strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, a neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory decline, visual hallucinations and movement difficulties similar to Parkinson’s.
Idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD)
A sleep disorder in which individuals physically act out their dreams due to a failure of normal muscle paralysis during REM sleep. It is strongly associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
Dementia with Lewy bodies
A type of dementia characterized by cognitive decline, hallucinations and motor symptoms. It shares features with both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Predicting dementia before symptoms appear
The research team at McGill analyzed blood samples from 150 people with iRBD, testing for biomarkers originally associated with Alzheimer’s. These biomarkers – two specific proteins in the blood – were found to be predictive of dementia risk. Over a 4-year period, nearly 90% of individuals who later developed dementia had shown positive biomarker results years earlier.
Want more breaking news?
Subscribe to Technology Networks’ daily newsletter, delivering breaking science news straight to your inbox every day.
Subscribe for FREE"Detecting dementia risk early could have significant implications for how doctors guide patients, helping them plan for the future and potentially allowing for more personalized, effective treatments.”
Dr. Ronald Postuma.
Biomarkers
Measurable biological substances, such as proteins, that can indicate disease presence or risk.
The findings, published in Brain, suggest that Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies may share common early biological markers.
Potential implications for treatment
The researchers propose that treatments currently under investigation for Alzheimer’s disease could also be explored in patients with iRBD, with the hope that early intervention might delay or prevent dementia with Lewy bodies.
Further studies are planned to evaluate how well the test predicts dementia risk in people with Parkinson’s disease and other high-risk groups.
Reference: Delva A, Pelletier A, Somerville E, et al. Plasma pTau181 and amyloid markers predict conversion to dementia in idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder. Brain. 2025:awaf003. doi: 10.1093/brain/awaf003
This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source. Our press release publishing policy can be accessed here.
This content includes text that has been generated with the assistance of AI. Technology Networks' AI policy can be found here.
