While researchers around the world scramble to find a solution for Alzheimer’s disease, a new study could pave the way for earlier detection of this condition that impacts memory and cognitive function. Researchers now suggest that the hidden signs of Alzheimer’s could be in the way you breathe.
In a recent groundbreaking study published in Brain Communications, researchers suggest that a higher breathing rate could be an earlier sign of Alzheimer’s that might help identify the disease before more obvious symptoms appear.
The study compared the levels of brain oxygenation, heart rate, brain waves, and breathing effort of 19 Alzheimer’s patients to 20 people without Alzheimer’s. The results showed that people with Alzheimer’s disease breathed approximately 17 times per minute while the control group had a breathing rate of 13 breaths per minute.
The researchers explain that neurodegeneration from Alzheimer’s disease is linked to changes in the pattern of brain oxygenation.
“Alzheimer’s can be hypothesized as being a result of the brain not being appropriately nourished via the blood vessels (vascular system),” said lead author Aneta Stefanovska in a news release.
“The vascular system and the brain work together to ensure that the brain receives sufficient energy. In fact, the brain needs as much as 20% of the body’s overall energy consumption despite contributing only about 2% of the body’s weight,” said Dr Bernard Meglič, clinical coordinator of the study.
Since the respiratory frequency at rest of people with Alzheimer’s is significantly higher compared to those without the condition, the findings suggest the possibility of detecting Alzheimer’s through simple, noninvasive, and inexpensive techniques.
Although the rate of breathing alone may not be enough to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, as many other factors can influence a person’s respiratory function, researchers believe their discovery could open the door to a new area in early detection and in future studies.
“This is an interesting discovery – in my opinion a, revolutionary one – that may open a whole new world in the study of the Alzheimer’s disease. It most likely reflects an inflammation, maybe in the brain, that once detected can probably be treated and severe states of Alzheimer’s might be prevented in the future,” Stefanovska added.
