Health
Alzheimer’s patients divided into 5 subgroups, potentially enabling ‘personalized medicine,’ study finds
Researchers have identified a total of five subgroups among Alzheimer’s patients, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Aging on Jan. 9.
Different groups may require different treatment options, as noted in a press release from Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC and Maastricht University.
“Previously, it was thought that Alzheimer’s disease is one disease, and that treatments being developed will work similarly for all individuals,” lead researcher Betty Tijms, associate professor of neuroscience and brain imaging at Amsterdam UMC, told Fox News Digital in an email.
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“We found that patients with Alzheimer’s disease differ in the biological processes involved — which means that possibly treatments will only work for a subgroup of patients.”
In the study, the researchers analyzed 1,058 proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid of 419 people with Alzheimer’s disease from studies at the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam.
Researchers have identified a total of five subgroups among Alzheimer’s patients, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Aging. Different groups may require different treatment options. (iStock)
They identified five different variants, according to the release describing the findings.
The first group had increased amyloid production in the brain, which results in a buildup of plaques that impede cognitive function, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
“This may explain why some patients respond better to some treatments.”
A second group was found to have a disruption in the blood-brain barrier, reduced amyloid production and less growth of nerve cells.
The remaining groups showed differences in protein synthesis, immune system function and cerebrospinal fluid production, the researchers noted.
Some of the groups were found to have faster progression of symptoms than others.
In the study, the researchers (not pictured) analyzed 1,058 proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid of 419 people with Alzheimer’s disease from studies at the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam. (iStock)
In an earlier, smaller study, the researchers found three subtypes (aberrant neuroplasticity, innate immune activation and blood-brain barrier dysfunction), Tijms noted.
“In our new, larger dataset, we again found those three subtypes, but also two new subtypes, with underlying processes that we did not expect to find beforehand,” she said.
One of those new subtypes was rare, including only 6% of the patients — but it had the worst disease prognosis, the researcher said.
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“This subtype had problems with protein synthesis,” she said. “The other subtype had impairment of the choroid plexus, which is the organ in the brain that produces cerebrospinal fluid.”
The study did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged.
“While we expect that subtypes may have different response to treatment, we were not yet able to demonstrate this, because we need access to cerebrospinal fluid samples from existing drug trials,” noted Tijms.
“We hope to test this in future studies.”
Based on the new findings about Alzheimer’s, treatment response and side effects could differ between patients from different subtypes, the researchers said. (iStock)
Additionally, the study was performed among relatively young patients, with an average age of 66 years.
“Subtypes may be different at older ages, as the majority of patients with AD are 80 years and older),” Pieter Jelle Visser, associate professor of neuroscience at Amsterdam UMC, told Fox News Digital.
Based on these findings, researchers involved in treatment development should take into account that treatment response and side effects could differ between patients from different subtypes, Visser noted.
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“For example, they could define the subtypes of patients to identify the ones who best respond to the trial,” he said. “This could also be done with samples that already have been collected in previous trials.”
Researchers could also test novel treatments only in a subtype that is likely to respond to the treatment, Tijms added, such as testing immune treatment in the subtype with immune activation.
“Each subgroup may need its own treatment, or version of a treatment, or combination of treatments, in order to be effective with the least side effects,” said a doctor from the Alzheimer’s Association. (iStock)
Dr. Kirk C. Wilhelmsen, professor of neurology and chief of cognitive neurology at West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, said this research is an “important paper,” but noted that it’s not ready to be implemented in clinical practice.
Wilhelmsen was not involved in the study.
“This may explain why some patients respond better to some treatments,” he told Fox News Digital. “It may salvage some drugs that have failed in clinical trials.”
Researchers said the hope is that the identification of these subgroups may salvage some drugs that have failed in clinical trials. (iStock)
Dr. Claire Sexton, senior director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, noted in a statement to Fox News Digital that while there are common brain changes that define Alzheimer’s, the experience of the disease varies from person to person.
“Now we are learning more about how some aspects of the biology of Alzheimer’s may also be different for different patients,” said Sexton, who was also not a participant in the Amsterdam research.
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“This includes differences in symptoms, the speed of progression and response to treatments,” she went on.
“Research that gives us a better understanding of the biology of Alzheimer’s disease can … inform therapeutic possibilities and drug development, and may advance the field toward personalized medicine approaches.”
A patient who suffers from Alzheimer’s is shown preparing to receive a PET scan at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 2023. (Michael Robinson Chávez/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
If these subtypes are validated and confirmed, Sexton said, they may help to explain why some individuals do or do not respond to certain treatments, or experience different types and severity of side effects.
“Each subgroup may need its own treatment, or version of a treatment, or combination of treatments, in order to be effective with the least side effects,” she said.
To confirm these findings, Sexton called for additional research with larger study groups that “accurately represent the diversity of the at-risk and affected populations.”
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The key to feeling better in a fast, overstimulated world might be surprisingly simple: Live a little more like your grandparents.
A growing social media trend, dubbed “nonnamaxxing,” draws inspiration from the slower, more intentional rhythms associated with an Italian grandmother.
The lifestyle is often linked to activities like preparing home-cooked meals, spending time outdoors and making meaningful connections.
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“Nonnamaxxing is a 2026 trend that embraces the slower, more intentional lifestyle of an Italian grandmother (a Nonna). Think cooking from scratch, long family meals, daily walks, gardening and less screen time,” Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, told Fox News Digital.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
Stepping away from screens and toward real-world interaction can have measurable benefits, according to California-based psychotherapist Laurie Singer.
“We know that interacting with others in person, rather than spending time on screens, significantly improves mental health,” she told Fox News Digital, adding that social media often fuels comparison and lowers self-esteem.
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Living more like previous generations isn’t purely driven by nostalgia. Cooking meals from scratch, for example, has been linked to better nutrition and more mindful eating patterns.
Adopting traditional mealtime habits can improve diet quality and support both physical and mental health, especially when meals are shared regularly with others, Palinski-Wade noted.
One longevity expert stresses that staying healthy isn’t just about food — it’s also about joy and community. (iStock)
There’s also a psychological benefit to slowing down and focusing on one task at a time. Anxiety often stems from unfinished or avoided tasks, Singer noted, and engaging in hands-on activities can counteract that.
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“Nonnamaxxing encourages us to be present around a task, like gardening, baking or knitting, or just taking a mindful walk, that delivers something ‘real,’” she said.
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Palinski-Wade cautions against turning the trend into another source of pressure, noting that a traditional “nonna” lifestyle often assumes a different pace of life.
The key, she said, is adapting the mindset, not replicating it perfectly.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
The goal is to reintroduce small, intentional moments that make you feel better.
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That might mean prioritizing a few shared meals each week, taking a walk without your phone or setting aside time for a simple hobby, the expert recommended.
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Singer added, “Having a positive place to escape to, through whatever activities speak to us and make us happy, isn’t generational – it’s human.”
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Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health.
Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt.
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“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement.
Loneliness may be linked to memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance.
The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed.
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The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance.
Social isolation and loneliness could play a surprising role in cognitive health among seniors. (iStock)
Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship.
About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression.
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Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time.
The results suggest loneliness may not directly accelerate the progression of memory loss, though it remains linked to poorer cognitive performance overall.
Researchers look at a brain scan at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Experts warn, however, that the findings should not be interpreted to mean loneliness is harmless.
“The finding that lonely older adults start with worse memory but don’t decline faster is actually the most interesting part of the paper, and I think it’s easy to misread,” said Jordan Weiss, Ph.D., a scientific advisor and aging expert at Assisted Living Magazine and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“It likely means loneliness does its damage earlier in life, well before people show up in a study like this at 65-plus,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
By older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold, an aging expert says. (iStock)
He suggested that by older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold.
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“By the time you’re measuring someone in their late 60s, decades of social connection patterns are already baked in,” he said.
Weiss, who was not involved in the research, added that loneliness may coincide with other health conditions, and noted that participants who felt more isolated also had higher rates of depression, high-blood pressure and diabetes. The link, he said, may reflect a cluster of health risks rather than a direct cause.
“While they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia,” a psychotherapist says. (iStock)
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist and author, said the findings reflect a broader pattern in research on loneliness and brain health, and that the relationship may be more complex than it appears.
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“The evidence shows there’s a link between loneliness and cognitive decline but there’s no direct evidence of a cause and effect relationship,” she said. “So while they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia.”
Morin added that loneliness, which can fluctuate, may not be the root of the problem, but rather a symptom of other underlying mental or physical health issues.
Researchers suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging. (iStock)
She said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health.
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“It’s important to be proactive about social activities,” Morin said. “Joining a book club, having coffee with a friend, or attending faith-based services can be a powerful way to maintain connections in older age.”
The researchers also suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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