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Updated: Jun 29, 2026
Visualization of Amyloid β Deposits in the Human Brain with Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry
Published on: March 7, 2019
Predicting brain amyloid load with digital and blood-based biomarkers
Weineng Chen1, Yu Liao2, Xinchong Shi3
1Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Neurological Diseases, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China.
A new online memory test combined with blood biomarkers accurately estimates Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain amyloid burden. This offers a scalable, non-invasive method for early AD detection in primary care settings.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Biomarkers
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Growing demand for accessible Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnostics following new anti-amyloid treatments.
- Need for scalable, convenient, and accurate methods to estimate brain amyloid-beta (Aβ) burden.
- WHO recommendations for timely AD diagnosis in primary care physician (PCP) offices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of the MemTrax online memory test and blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) in estimating brain Aβ burden.
- To compare the diagnostic performance of MemTrax and BBMs against Aβ Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans.
- To develop a machine-learning model for predicting Aβ burden using MemTrax and BBMs.
Main Methods:
- Utilized MemTrax (2-minute online memory test) as a digital biomarker for cognitive impairment.
- Measured blood-based biomarkers (Aβ42, Aβ40, P-tau181, GFAP, NfL) in 349 elderly individuals.
- Employed machine-learning (ML) to analyze correlations between MemTrax, BBMs, and Aβ PET scan centiloid (CL) values.
Main Results:
- MemTrax and MoCA demonstrated similar ability in differentiating Aβ status.
- Integration of MemTrax and BBMs via ML significantly improved the area under the curve (AUC) for Aβ status differentiation compared to MoCA alone.
- The composite of MemTrax and p-Tau181/Aβ42 showed the strongest correlation with CL values, accurately predicting Aβ burden.
Conclusions:
- The combination of MemTrax and BBMs offers an accurate, convenient, non-invasive, cost-effective, and scalable method for estimating Aβ load.
- This approach facilitates mass screening and timely, accurate AD diagnosis.
- Findings support improved AD clinical management in PCPs offices, enhancing global access to care.
