Biomarkers identified 5 years prior to symptom onset can indicate future mild cognitive impairment

Study findings presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference indicate combinations of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers identified at least 5 years prior to symptom onset can be used to determine which cognitively healthy individuals will progress to mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease.

To assess utility of different predictive tests, Marilyn Albert, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues evaluated data from the BIOCARD study for individuals who were cognitively healthy at baseline.

“Using data from baseline in 189 participants, and predicting onset of clinical symptoms up to 5 years later, sets of biomarkers were examined using several approaches: (1) the least costly to the most costly, (2) the least invasive to the most invasive, and (3) the best fit model,” Albert and colleagues wrote.

The best fit model included six measures: Digit Symbol Digit Symbol and Paired Associates Immediate Recall tests, two cerebrospinal fluid measures (amyloid beta and p-tau) and MRI measures of right entorhinal cortex thickness and right hippocampal volume.

The addition of each domain (cognitive, cerebrospinal fluid, MRI) significantly increased the accuracy of prediction, according to researchers.

“Our study shows that — up to 5 years before any Alzheimer’s symptoms appear — a small set of factors can tell us, with significant accuracy, which cognitively normal individuals will develop mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s,” Albert said. “We hope that this information will be useful for designing clinical trials aimed at delaying the onset of symptoms among cognitively normal individuals. An approach such as ours could be used for determining which people might be most likely to benefit.” – by Amanda Oldt

Reference:

Albert M, et al. Using Combinations of Variables to Identify Individuals with Preclinical AD. Presented at: Alzheimer’s Association International Conference; July 18-23, 2015; Washington, D.C.

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