Urine odor may be able to detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study in mice.
The study, published in the online journal Scientific Reports, involved mice, and later a machine, which were able to detect differences between the smell of urine from normal mice and that of three strains of mice that had been genetically altered to model aspects of Alzheimer's disease. This was true even when the mice were not yet showing brain changes associated with dementia.
In the study, researchers worked with "sensor" mice, who showed they could tell something was amiss with urine from the altered mice by lingering longer over it than urine from normal mice. Once they had shown there was a difference, researchers used mass spectrometry to compare the chemical composition of the urines. They suspected the mice may have noticed more subtle differences that the machine could detect.
Researchers believe this might lead to tests that could identify people in the very early stages of Alzheimer's, which starts many years before symptoms are noticeable.
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