University of Helsinki Study provides new data on potential aetiological mechanisms that are linked with dementia caused by diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. (Image: Mostphotos) A study by an international research group identified 15 novel biomarkers that are linked to late-onset dementias. These biomarkers are proteins, which predict cognitive decline and subsequent increased risk of dementia already 20 years before the disease onset. The proteins are related to immune system dysfunction, blood-brain-barrier dysfunction, vascular pathologies, and central insulin resistance. Six of these proteins can be modified with currently available medications prescribed for conditions other than dementia. “These findings provide novel avenues for further studies to examine whether drugs targeting these proteins could prevent or delay the development of dementia”, says lead author Joni Lindbohm MD, PhD from the University College London and University of Helsinki.