Real‐world performance of plasma p‐tau181 in a heterogeneous memory clinic cohort

• Published in: Annals of clinical and translational neurology 2024-08, Vol.11 (8), p.1988-1998
• Main Authors: Parvizi, Tandis, Wurm, Raphael, König, Theresa, Silvaieh, Sara, Altmann, Patrick, Klotz, Sigrid, Regelsberger, Guenther, Traub‐Weidinger, Tatjana, Gelpi, Ellen, Stögmann, Elisabeth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - blood; Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis; Alzheimer's disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides - blood; Biobanks; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - blood; Body mass index; Cognitive Dysfunction - blood; Cognitive Dysfunction - diagnosis; Cohort Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dementia; Female; Humans; Male; Memory; Middle Aged; Pathology; Patients; Plasma; Primary care; Regression analysis; Retrospective Studies; tau Proteins - blood; tau Proteins - cerebrospinal fluid; Tomography
• ISSN: 2328-9503; 2328-9503
• DOI: 10.1002/acn3.52116

Objective In light of clinical trials and disease‐modifying therapies, an early identification of patients at‐risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) is crucial. Blood‐based biomarkers have shown promising results regarding the in vivo detection of the earliest neuropathological changes in AD. Herein, we investigated the ability of plasma p‐tau181 to act as a prescreening marker for amyloid positivity in a heterogeneous memory clinic‐based cohort. Methods In this retrospective cross‐sectional study, we included a total of 115 patients along the clinical AD continuum (mild cognitive impairment [MCI] due to AD, n = 62, probable AD dementia, n = 53). Based on their biomarker status, they were stratified into an amyloid‐positive (Aβ+, n = 88) or amyloid‐negative cohort (Aβ−, n = 27). Plasma and CSF p‐tau181 concentrations were quantified using an ultrasensitive single‐molecule array (SIMOA©). Furthermore, age‐ and sex‐adjusted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated and the area under the curve (AUC) of each model was compared using DeLong's test for correlated AUC curves. Results The median (interquartile range [IQR]) concentration of plasma p‐tau181 was significantly higher in Aβ+ patients (3.6 pg/mL [2.5–4.6]), compared with Aβ− patients (1.7 pg/mL [1.2–1.9], p