A research team at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil recently reported that increased levels of D-serine in the brain are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. This finding is expected to help early diagnosis of the disease. D-Serin is an important neurotransmitter. In other words, it is a chemical substance that acts as a messenger and transmits signals between nerve synapses.
Researchers compared the brains of patients who died of Alzheimer's disease with healthy brains and found that the patients had higher levels of D-serine in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, and higher levels of cerebrospinal fluid than average. done. Researchers conducted experiments in mice and found that the increase in D-serine content may be due to the accumulation of β-amyloid in the patient’s brain. The abnormal accumulation of this protein can damage brain cells and is a sign of Alzheimer's disease. Next, by analyzing the test results of 50 volunteers, the researchers concluded that D-serine levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer's disease or in a high-risk state were significantly increased. Yes... In addition, the higher the D-serine level, the more obvious the cognitive decline of the patient.
This means that D-serine levels can be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The research team has begun testing more patients to further verify the findings.