Biomarkers Not Linked to MCI's Conversion into Alzheimer's Disease
Posted Sep 07 2011 2:00pm
We started off the year full of promise in our quest for some way to diagnose Alzheimer's disease when studies demonstrated the promise of florbetapir and plasma beta amyloid . However, in a retrospective case control study published yesterday in the Archives of General Psychiatry , the authors concluded that biomarkers were of no benefit in predicting the conversion of 116 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to 204 controls w/MCI who did not convert to AD over a 2 year period of time.
Instead, cognitive testing accounted for 50% of the conversion from MCI to AD, which is why, in my presentation, I recommend testing cognitive function each and every time a patient comes in for an evaluation, even if it's unrelated to his/her MCI . I figure the more data points the better. Of course, measurement of middle temporal lobe cortical thickness also helped in predicting conversion of MCI to AD. However, cognitive testing is a heck of a lot cheaper when you're talking about following millions of patients. Just something to think about in our current dysfunctional medical system . . . And thank you to my colleague, Dr. Sandy H, for pointing out this study!
