ADVERTISEMENT
Several Blood Biomarkers Offer Diagnostic, Prognostic Potential for Alzheimer Disease
Researchers from Macquarie University in Australia have identified several blood-based biomarkers that may reflect the core hallmarks of Alzheimer disease. The findings, which were published online in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, provide hope for a blood test that could diagnose Alzheimer disease early in its progression.
“Cerebrospinal fluid samples and brain imaging can confirm if someone has Alzheimer’s, but these are invasive and expensive, so they are not commonly done,” said study corresponding author and professor Ralph N. Martins, PhD. “Blood biomarkers would be cheap, easily accessible, and have the ability to deliver high throughput testing.”
Using data from the Australian Imaging Biomarker and Lifestyle Flagship Study of Aging, the team found a panel of blood biomarkers with high discriminative performance for Alzheimer’s disease from the preclinical to dementia stages. The panel, which includes amyloid beta (Aβ42/40 ratio), phosphorylated-tau181 (p-tau181), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), demonstrated an accuracy of 85% to 95%.
News: Smartphone App Shows Promise for Neurological Screening at Home
Lower plasma Aβ and higher p-tau181, GFAP, and neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels were associated with faster future cognitive decline, researchers reported. Additionally, lower plasma Aβ and higher p-tau181 and GFAP were associated with faster future brain Aβ accumulation.
“Over 36 months, plasma Aβ decreased, and p-tau181 and GFAP increased, at a faster rate in people with mild cognitive impairment when compared to healthy people,” said co-lead author Pratishtha Chatterjee, PhD, “and GFAP and NfL increased at a faster rate in Alzheimer’s disease when compared to healthy individuals.”
Future studies will need to validate clinical cut-off points for use in clinical settings, the researcher team explained, and incorporate people from different ethnic backgrounds and with comorbidities.
References
