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Drs. Benedetta Bigio and Carla Nasca, in collaboration with other researchers in the United States and Brazil, have recently published a study in the January 7, 2025 edition of Molecular Psychiatry. The paper, titled “Sex differences in mitochondrial free-carnitine levels in subjects at-risk and with Alzheimer’s disease in two independent study cohorts,” suggest that declines in two brain chemicals, acetyl-L-carnitine and free carnitine, could indicate the presence and degree of Alzheimer’s disease, and that this difference might offer an explanation as to why women are at higher risk of the disease than men. According to Dr. Bigio, the study lead investigator, “Our findings offer the strongest evidence to date that decreased blood levels of acetyl-L-carnitine and free carnitine could act as blood biomarkers for identifying those who have Alzheimer’s disease, and potentially those who are at greater risk of developing early dementia.” Carla Nasca, the paper’s senior author, says that if further studies confirm their latest findings, the team’s research could be used to develop a blood test for dementia and for tracking the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in an easier and noninvasive way. Bigio and Nasca also discussed this work in a Facebook interview on Neurology Live.