CSF Biomarkers and AD Prediction

Several reports have been made of the value of the CSF markers amyloid-beta_1-42 (Aβ[42]), total tau protein (T-tau), and tau protein phosphorylated at threonine 181 (P-tau) in predicting progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer disease (AD). However, these studies have tended to either be small or involve only one investigation site. Now, researchers have conducted a large study of these biomarkers, including 750 patients with MCI seen at 12 centers in the U.S. and Europe. CSF was obtained at the time of MCI diagnosis, and subjects were followed longitudinally.

Over at least 2 years of follow-up, 271 participants with MCI were diagnosed with dementia caused by AD. Using cutoff scores developed from a separate group of he…