A breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease research appeared to improve chances for early diagnosis even before dementia sets in. Some scientists have observed that a distinct smell of an individual's urine serves as an early warning sign of the possible onset of Alzheimer's.

"Previous research from the USDA and Monell has focused on body odor changes due to exogenous sources such as viruses or vaccines," explained chemical ecologist Bruce Kimball, Ph.D., the study's author, as per Latin Times. "Now we have evidence that urinary odor signatures can be altered by changes in the brain characteristic of Alzheimer's disease."

He added that this biomarker identification may also have implications in the diagnosis and study of other neurological diseases.

According to Fox News, the researchers noticed that each of the three different types of genetically altered mice, which were modified to develop similar brain and behavioral changes observed in those diagnosed with Alzheimer's, had a different urinary odor from that of the non-modified mice, which was the control group.

The scientists pinned the differences down to the variations in the concentrations of the compound that produced the odor.

The changes in the urine of the mice used in the experiment were not influenced by age but by the amount of amyloid plaque build-up in the brains of the mice, which hinted that the distinct odor is connected to the presence of an underlying gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer's.

In fact, as per MailOnline, the researchers were able to differentiate the affected mice from the control group using their odor signature.

Alzheimer's disease has been diagnosed via the clumping and build-up of the amyloid protein outside brain cells, which can destroy the latter, as well as disrupt cellular communication, as per Mayo Clinic. Although this disease has no cure and cannot be reversed, an early and accurate diagnosis helps the patient to adequately prepare for the future in order to manage the condition better.

Despite this breakthrough, the scientists recommended further studies to be done to verify the findings and also profile Alzheimer's-related odors among humans.

Further, Alzheimer's Society's director of research, Dr. Doug Brown, had warned that it is still too early to say whether the study's findings will indeed aid in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's as the tests involved genetically modified mice, "which do not fully replicate several of the important changes seen in the brains of people with dementia," as he explained to MailOnline.

"Although this is an interesting approach to the problem of identifying Alzheimer's before memory symptoms appear, it is too early to tell whether this could be a valid way to diagnose the condition in people," he added.

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