A team of neuroscientists from the University of Florida (FIU) discovered that the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) may serve as an early biomarker for inflammatory processes in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in women.
Experiments on mice with a genetic predisposition to the disease showed that TSPO levels were elevated as early as six weeks of age—the equivalent of 18–20 years in humans.
The protein was concentrated in the subiculum, a brain region responsible for memory formation. Similar results were obtained by analyzing human tissue samples from nine individuals in Colombia suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s. The scientists note that brain inflammation can begin long before symptoms appear, and TSPO could become the key to early diagnosis.
“Neuroinflammation is a very early stage of Alzheimer’s disease that impacts the onset of the disease,” noted neuroscientist Thomas Gilarte, the study’s lead.
A particularly pronounced increase in TSPO levels was observed in female mice, which is consistent with statistics showing that women are more frequently affected by Alzheimer’s. The increase in the protein coincided with the accumulation of amyloid-beta plaques, characteristic of the disease, and was linked to the activity of microglia—the brain’s immune cells.
The researchers believe that microglia play a key role in the development of inflammation: instead of protecting, they begin to constantly emit TSPO signals, accelerating degenerative processes—”throwing fuel on the fire.”
The researchers emphasize that while the work concerns hereditary forms of the disease, it provides valuable clues for combating other types of Alzheimer’s as well.
