Unraveling Alzheimer's: Four symptom clusters identified
A UCLA study has found that Alzheimer's disease doesn't just have one cause—there are four main health pathways that can lead to it.
By looking at nearly 25,000 patient records, researchers uncovered new clues about how this memory-loss disorder takes hold.
The 4 pathways identified by researchers
The team identified:
1) A mental health route, often starting with issues like depression and sometimes linked to earlier problems like high blood pressure;
2) An encephalopathy pathway, where worsening brain dysfunctions speed up decline;
3) A mild cognitive impairment path, marked by slow memory loss and things like menopause or erectile dysfunction showing up first;
and 4) A vascular disease route, tied to heart and blood flow issues, often with joint pain or chronic pain beforehand.
Patterns could help doctors catch the disease sooner
About a quarter of cases followed clear step-by-step patterns—like high blood pressure leading to depression before Alzheimer's.
Mingzhou Fu from UCLA says spotting these patterns could help doctors catch the disease sooner and focus on prevention instead of just treating symptoms later.
Study can help in focusing on prevention instead of treating
If doctors know which pathway someone is on, they might be able to step in earlier with lifestyle changes or treatments—possibly slowing down or even preventing Alzheimer's for some people.