“Analyzing changes in these CSF biomarker levels in people with mild cognitive impairment can detect the conversion to Alzheimer’s disease, especially when used in conjunction with neuroimaging and psychological tests,” said Dr. Shaw. “By defining significant differences in biomarkers, we are able to accelerate our drug development efforts to look for compounds that modify these discrepancies and may treat Alzheimer’s disease.”
Dr. Leslie Shaw, Professor of Pathology and Lab Medicine and Director of the Penn ADNI Biomarker Core Laboratory, and colleagues found they could predict when patients with mild cognitive impairment may convert to Alzheimer’s disease by measuring significant cellular signatures.
Researchers determined benchmark concentration levels of certain biological indicators in three populations: elderly who were cognitively normal, mildly cognitively impaired and had Alzheimer’s disease. Examining cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) samples collected from more than 50 study sites, they determined baseline levels of three proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease (total tau, P-Tau181P, and ß-Amyloid1-42). What they found were significant differences in the level of these biomarker concentrations between groups.
“Analyzing changes in these CSF biomarker levels in people with mild cognitive impairment can detect the conversion to Alzheimer’s disease, especially when used in conjunction with neuroimaging and psychological tests,” said Dr. Shaw. “By defining significant differences in biomarkers, we are able to accelerate our drug development efforts to look for compounds that modify these discrepancies and may treat Alzheimer’s disease.”
Dr. Davatzikos’ study used MRI images from participants in two long term studies – the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) – and was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Institute for the Study of Aging. Data collection and collaboration for Dr. Shaw’s project was funded by the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative through a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
For Additional Information Contact: Kim Guenther at 215-662-6183.
