Larger people are bringing many health problems, among which memory loss associated with dementia is an urgent issue. As the number of affected people is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years, scientists are working to find early clues that can identify the disease faster. A recent study highlights certain changes in spinal fluid, and some changes in the clear fluid surrounding and buffering the brain and spinal cord may mark the early development of dementia.
Clinical scientists led by Professor Rüdiger Seitz of Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf have carefully studied this connection. Their work on LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf with a combined liquid test designed to measure psychological exercises for memory and thinking ability, often referred to as neuropsychological assessment in clinical settings. The results were published in the respected medical journal Neurological Research and Practice and Clinical Medicine.
Nearly 200 people showing signs of dementia participated in the study. They are divided into two groups according to the duration of the symptoms. One obvious finding stands out: among people who have recently noticed changes, the lower amount of substance is called amyloid β1-42, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease, called here the viscous brain protein, and in its spinal fluid, scores lower on memory tests. People with higher levels of this protein usually perform better on these tests (the red area in the figure). These differences are not obvious in people with symptoms for a longer period of time (the blue area in the figure). In a group of dementia patients, patients diagnosed with hydrocephalus with normal stress showed a gradual gait problem and urine incontinence in addition to memory disorders.
“Our results confirm the correlation of clingy brain proteins for memory deficits and support the amyloid cascade hypothesis for Alzheimer’s dementia.” The amyloid cascade hypothesis is a widely supported idea that suggests that when amyloid accumulates in the brain, the initiation of Alzheimer’s disease begins, leading to damage. Professor Seitz also pointed out that other markers found in spinal fluid, such as phosphorylated TAU protein, are signs of intraneurocellular damage, and that the ratio between different forms of amyloid beta shows a certain connection with thinking difficulties. However, none is as closely related to brain proteins as memory problems. Other tested substances, such as total tau protein, neuron-specific enolase, a molecule that appears when nerve cells are injured, protein S100B, which is associated with brain inflammation, showed no useful pattern.
Recognizing these patterns is important to the doctor. If the sticky brain protein can point out memory problems early, it could be a useful tool to detect worsening of dementia. Professor Seitz’s team also found that skills related to understanding space and shape were also affected by dementia, without the same strong connection to the protein. This means that memory and visual thinking may be affected by different processes in the brain.
Time is the key. Early testing of viscous brain proteins, especially in the months when memory failure is first noticed, showed the most obvious results. This supports the idea that biological changes within the brain begin before major memory loss occur. Professor Seitz concluded: “This pattern coincides with the most dynamic idea that neurodegenerative processes show in cognitive symptoms.” Neurodegenerative processes refer to the slow breakdown and ultimate loss of nerve cells in the brain.
Understanding how markers in the blood or spinal fluid connect with mind and memory can help to have a clearer understanding of how dementia develops. Finding this link suggests that sticky brain proteins may help detect dementia early. “This is also good news for putative treatments because the strongest associations are found in the early stages of the disease,” Professor Seitz noted, highlighting how changes in this target protein affect the hassle to recall words and identify them later. As medical research continues to explore the changes behind Alzheimer’s, studies such as Professor Seitz and colleagues help develop better ways to detect and potentially treat the disease in advance and more efficiently.
Journal Reference
Klemke LL, Müller-Schmitz K., Kolman A., Seitz RJ “Evolution of Neurodegeneration in Patients with Normal Stress Hydrocephalus: A Single-Stack Study.” Neurological Research and Practice, 2023; 5:52. doi:
RömerM. , Lange-Asschenfeldt C., Müller-Schmitz K., Seitz RJ “Correspinal fluid biomarkers and neuropsychological abnormalities in dementia: a single-center study in successive patients.” Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2025; 14:710. doi:
