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Plasma phospho‐tau181 increases with Alzheimer's disease clinical severity and is associated with tau‐ and amyloid‐positron emission tomography
Author(s) -
Mielke Michelle M.,
Hagen Clinton E.,
Xu Jing,
Chai Xiyun,
Vemuri Prashanthi,
Lowe Val J.,
Airey David C.,
Knopman David S.,
Roberts Rosebud O.,
Machulda Mary M.,
Jack Clifford R.,
Petersen Ronald C.,
Dage Jeffrey L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2018.02.013
Subject(s) - positron emission tomography , pittsburgh compound b , dementia , apolipoprotein e , magnetic resonance imaging , pathophysiology , amyloid (mycology) , medicine , alzheimer's disease , psychology , biomarker , nuclear medicine , pathology , disease , radiology , chemistry , biochemistry
We examined and compared plasma phospho‐tau181 (pTau181) and total tau: (1) across the Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical spectrum; (2) in relation to brain amyloid β (Aβ) positron emission tomography (PET), tau PET, and cortical thickness; and (3) as a screening tool for elevated brain Aβ. Methods Participants included 172 cognitively unimpaired, 57 mild cognitively impaired, and 40 AD dementia patients with concurrent Aβ PET (Pittsburgh compound B), tau PET (AV1451), magnetic resonance imaging, plasma total tau, and pTau181. Results Plasma total tau and pTau181 levels were higher in AD dementia patients than those in cognitively unimpaired. Plasma pTau181 was more strongly associated with both Aβ and tau PET. Plasma pTau181 was a more sensitive and specific predictor of elevated brain Aβ than total tau and was as good as, or better than, the combination of age and apolipoprotein E ( APOE ). Discussion Plasma pTau181 may have utility as a biomarker of AD pathophysiology and as a noninvasive screener for elevated brain Aβ.