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. 2021 Aug;17(8):1353-1364.
doi: 10.1002/alz.12301. Epub 2021 Feb 13.

Plasma p-tau181, p-tau217, and other blood-based Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in a multi-ethnic, community study

Adam M Brickman  1   2   3 , Jennifer J Manly  1   2   3 , Lawrence S Honig  1   3 , Danurys Sanchez  1   2 , Dolly Reyes-Dumeyer  1   2 , Rafael A Lantigua  1   4 , Patrick J Lao  1   2   3 , Yaakov Stern  1   2   3 , Jean Paul Vonsattel  1   5 , Andrew F Teich  1   3   5 , David C Airey  6 , Nicholas Kyle Proctor  6 , Jeffrey L Dage  6 , Richard Mayeux  1   2   3
Affiliations

Plasma p-tau181, p-tau217, and other blood-based Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in a multi-ethnic, community study

Adam M Brickman et al. Alzheimers Dement. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Blood-based Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers provide opportunities for community studies and across ethnic groups. We investigated blood biomarker concentrations in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP), a multi-ethnic community study of aging and dementia.

Methods: We measured plasma amyloid beta (Aβ)40, Aβ42, total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated tau (p-tau)181, and p-tau217, and neurofilament light chain (NfL) in 113 autopsied participants (29% with high AD neuropathological changes) and in 300 clinically evaluated individuals (42% with clinical AD). Receiver operating characteristics were used to evaluate each biomarker. We also investigated biomarkers as predictors of incident clinical AD.

Results: P-tau181, p-tau217, and NfL concentrations were elevated in pathologically and clinically diagnosed AD. Decreased Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio and increased p-tau217 and p-tau181 were associated with subsequent AD diagnosis.

Discussion: Blood-based AD biomarker concentrations are associated with pathological and clinical diagnoses and can predict future development of clinical AD, providing evidence that they can be incorporated into multi-ethnic, community-based studies.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; amyloid; blood-based biomarkers; neurofilament light chain; tau.

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Conflict of interest statement

The following authors have no conflicts of interest to report: Adam M. Brickman, Jennifer J. Manly, Lawrence S. Honig, Danurys Sanchez, Dolly Reyes‐Dumeyer, Rafael A. Lantigua, Patrick J. Lao, Yaakov Stern, Jean Paul Vonsattel, Andrew F. Teich and Richard Mayeux. David C. Airey, Nicholas Kyle Proctor, and Jeffrey L. Dage are employees and stock holders of Eli Lilly and Company.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Receiver operating curves for classification of post mortem diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. A, Total sample. B, Non‐Hispanic Whites. C, Non‐Hispanic Blacks. D, Hispanics
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Biomarker concentrations across pathological "ABC" ratings. Midline represents median, box represents 25th and 75th percentile, and T‐bars represent 95% confidence interval. Individual subject data points are superimposed. AD, Alzheimer's disease; ADNC, AD neuropathological change;
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Differences between clinically diagnosed patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and healthy controls (HC) in absolute concentrations of each plasma biomarker. Midline represents median, box represents 25th and 75th percentile, and T‐bars represent 95% confidence interval. Individual subject data points are superimposed
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Receiver operating curves for classification of clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. A, Total sample. B, Non‐Hispanic Whites. C, Non‐Hispanic Blacks. D, Hispanics
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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