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Preclinical Alzheimer disease-the challenges ahead
Reisa A Sperling1, Jason Karlawish, Keith A Johnson
1Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Departments of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 221 Longwood Avenue Boston, MA 02115, USA. reisa@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
Nature Reviews. Neurology
|November 28, 2012
Summary
Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology can be detected in clinically normal individuals years before symptoms appear. Further research is needed to confirm biomarker predictability for early intervention and prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Biomarker Research
- Geriatric Medicine
Background:
- Growing evidence suggests Alzheimer disease (AD) begins years before clinical symptoms manifest.
- The concept of a preclinical or presymptomatic stage of AD is increasingly accepted in scientific communities.
- In vivo detection of AD pathology in cognitively normal older adults is now possible through advanced biomarker studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of identifying individuals in the preclinical stages of Alzheimer disease.
- To facilitate early intervention strategies aimed at delaying or preventing the clinical onset of AD.
- To address the need for validating biomarker predictive value at the individual patient level.
Main Methods:
- Utilized advances in biomarker studies for in vivo detection of AD pathology.
- Focused on clinically normal older individuals to assess preclinical AD markers.
- Evaluated the predictive value of identified biomarkers for individual patient outcomes.
Main Results:
- Confirmed the ability to detect Alzheimer disease pathology in asymptomatic individuals.
- Highlighted that the predictive value of these biomarkers in individual patients requires further elucidation.
- Identified significant challenges that need to be overcome for clinical validation and translation.
Conclusions:
- Early detection of Alzheimer disease pathology in preclinical stages is feasible using biomarkers.
- Further research is essential to validate biomarker predictive power for clinical application.
- Overcoming current challenges is crucial for translating preclinical AD detection into clinical practice for early intervention.
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