Blood Test Identifies Alzheimer's Biomarker Years Before Scans
New blood test for pTau217 detects Alzheimer's indicators years before symptoms, aiding early risk identification and clinical trial design.
Ayla Demirhan ·
A recent study indicates that a blood test measuring pTau217 can detect early indicators of Alzheimer's disease years before symptoms or brain scan abnormalities appear. Elevated pTau217 levels in cognitively healthy adults correlated with accelerated accumulation of amyloid and tau proteins, and subsequent cognitive decline.
Changes in pTau217 often preceded positive brain imaging results, suggesting its potential as a more sensitive early detection tool. Conversely, low pTau217 levels were associated with a reduced likelihood of developing significant Alzheimer's-related brain changes over extended periods.
This biomarker could facilitate earlier identification of individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease progression. Such early detection may impact clinical study design and the selection of participants for trials, particularly for prevention strategies.
However, the clinical benefit of early screening for cognitively unimpaired older adults remains undetermined, as the efficacy of interventions at this very early stage is not yet established.