Mayo Clinic researchers have confirmed the reliability of a blood test capable of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease in patients with cognitive impairments at outpatient memory clinics.
This development could facilitate early diagnosis and treatment for individuals displaying early signs of Alzheimer’s, thereby addressing the need for more accessible and cost-efficient diagnostic tools. The study’s findings have been published in “Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.”
Current methods for detecting the presence of Alzheimer’s-related brain protein accumulations include PET scans and spinal taps, which are costly and invasive. The study led by Dr. Gregg Day demonstrated that blood testing could diagnose Alzheimer’s with 95% sensitivity and 82% specificity, paralleling the accuracy of cerebrospinal fluid tests but with greater convenience and affordability.
Mayo Clinic neurologist, dementia specialist and clinical researcher Day said: “When performed in the outpatient clinical setting, this is similar to the accuracy of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of the disease and is much more convenient and cost-effective.”
The research included over 500 patients from the Memory Disorder Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Florida, encompassing a wide age range and various stages of cognitive impairment. Serum tests for kidney disease were also performed due to its effect on plasma biomarker levels.
The Mayo Clinic Laboratories analysed two proteins associated with amyloid plaque buildup, Aβ42/40 and p-tau217, finding elevated p-tau217 levels in Alzheimer’s patients.
Of the 509 participants, plasma p-tau217 concentrations were positive in 267 cases, including 233 out of 246 patients (95%) diagnosed with Alzheimer’s-related cognitive impairment. These findings present prospects in identifying suitable clinical trial participants and evaluating patient responses to treatments.
This study’s results were highlighted at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in April. Previous research by Mayo Clinic has already shown the effectiveness of these blood tests compared to PET scans.
The next phase involves testing in diverse populations and asymptomatic individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s while examining disease-specific factors that might influence biomarker accuracy in clinical settings.
