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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers predict decline in subjective cognitive function over 3 years in healthy elderly
Erik Stomrud1, Oskar Hansson, Kaj Blennow
1Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmo, Lund University, University Hospital MAS, Malmo, Sweden. erik.stomrud@med.lu.se
Objective:
To investigate whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers can predict cognitive decline in healthy, elderly individuals as they have been shown to do in cognitively impaired patient samples.
Methods:
In this study, 57 controls were tested for CSF biomarkers at baseline and then cognitively followed over 3 years.
Results:
Low levels of baseline beta-amyloid 1-42 (Abeta42) were associated with development of subjective memory impairment affecting quality of life (memQoL), with a worse Mini Mental Status Examination score and with inability to live in regular housing at follow-up (p < 0.05). The combination of baseline Abeta42 and phosphorylated tau (P-tau) was found to predict development of pathological memQoL with a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 75.7 (<0.01).
Conclusion:
Low Abeta42 and combined Abeta42 and P-tau predicted subjective cognitive decline in healthy individuals. In summary, this study shows that already in the clinically normal population Alzheimer-disease-related biological signs might be detectable.
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