Researchers within the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) have identified markers in human saliva that indicate the presence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Drs. Roger Dixon and Liang Li specialize in biomarker research in aging and dementia. In other words, they work with people who are aging to identify whether there are substances in their bodies that indicate the presence of a specific disease or infection. For this study, they worked with three groups of patients – who are living with AD, MCI, or have unimpaired cognition. To identify markers of the diseases or changes over time, Dixon and Li examined 6000+ metabolites (which are substances that are formed in, or necessary for, metabolism). They did this using a mass spectrometer, which is an apparatus that separates isotopes, molecules, and molecular fragments based on their mass. Their discovery – of three biomarkers that can detect AD and MCI – may lead to the development of a saliva test that can diagnose the diseases in the future.
