May 19, 2015

expert reaction to paper on iron levels and the progression of Alzheimer’s disease

A link between levels of the body’s main iron-storing protein (ferratin) and Alzheimer’s disease has been investigated in a study published in the journal Nature Communications, with the researchers reporting that the more ferratin in a person’s cerebrospinal fluid, the earlier the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.

Dr James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society said:

“Previous evidence suggests that an imbalance in iron in the brain may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease. This interesting study adds to these findings. The study, using seven years’ worth of data, finds that higher levels of the iron storage protein ferritin may be associated with people with mild cognitive impairment going on to develop Alzheimer’s disease earlier.

“The explanation linking ferritin levels to the strongest known Alzheimer’s risk gene, ApoE4, is very interesting as it shows a potential reason for the role that this gene has in Alzheimer’s disease. It will be interesting to see further research into the relationship between ApoE and iron levels in the brain.

“The biggest mistake we could make would be to take these results as meaning that a test for conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease is around the corner. It’s not clear enough from this study whether iron levels could be used to predict this conversion with enough accuracy and we can’t draw any conclusions about whether we might be able to use iron as a target for future treatments. We need to see much more research into areas such as this which is why Alzheimer’s Society has pledged £100million for dementia research in the next ten years.”

Dr Eric Karran, Director of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

“Understanding the processes that underlie the progression of memory and thinking problems in old age is a key goal of dementia research. While this study adds to existing evidence suggesting that iron plays an important role in Alzheimer’s disease, it doesn’t provide a test that would be useful in the clinic.

“Currently half a million people are living with Alzheimer’s in the UK, and we must invest much more in research if we are to find effective ways to treat the disease. Studies like this one can highlight areas for future research and potential targets for new treatments.”

‘Ferritin levels in the cerebrospinal fluid predict Alzheimer’s disease outcomes and are regulated by APOE’ by Ayton et al. published in Nature Communications on Tuesday 19th May. 

Declared interests

Dr James Pickett and Dr Eric Karran have no conflicts of interest to declare