Episode Details

A long-term study in China has shown that a series of changes take place in the brains of people who get Alzheimer’s disease long before they present signs of the sickness. 

中国的一项长期研究表明，早在阿尔茨海默病患者出现症状之前，他们的大脑就发生了一系列变化。

The large study followed middle-aged and older adults for 20 years. The individuals were examined on a regular basis during that period. The researchers used brain imaging, spinal fluid checks and other tools to collect data. 

这项大型研究对中老年人进行了长达 20 年的跟踪调查。 在此期间，这些人定期接受检查。 研究人员使用脑成像、脊髓液检查和其他工具来收集数据。 

The researchers reported that the study subjects who later developed Alzheimer’s showed high levels of disease-linked protein in their spinal fluid. The higher levels were recorded as much as 18 years before the patients were identified as having Alzheimer's.

研究人员报告说，后来患上阿尔茨海默氏症的研究对象的脊髓液中显示出高水平的疾病相关蛋白。 在患者被确诊患有阿尔茨海默氏症之前 18 年，该水平就出现了较高的记录。 

Then every few years, the study detected another so-called biomarker of coming trouble. 

然后每隔几年，这项研究就会检测到另一种所谓的即将出现麻烦的生物标志物。 

Scientists still do not know exactly how Alzheimer’s forms. The disease slowly destroys the brain, interfering with the ability to think. Alzheimer’s patients develop proteins called beta-amyloid and tau, which over time build up into plaques that block brain processes. 

科学家们仍然不知道阿尔茨海默氏症是如何形成的。 这种疾病会慢慢破坏大脑，干扰思考能力。 阿尔茨海默氏症患者体内会产生一种叫做 β-淀粉样蛋白和 tau 蛋白的蛋白质，随着时间的推移，这些蛋白质会形成斑块，阻碍大脑的活动。

The new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, offers a timeline for how these proteins develop. 

这项发表在《新英格兰医学杂志》上的新研究提供了这些蛋白质如何发育的时间表。 

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