Performance of Fully-Automated High-Throughput Plasma Biomarker Assays for Alzheimer’s Disease in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment Subjects

IntroductionNovel plasma biomarkers are promising for identifying Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathological processes in vivo, but most currently employed assays have limitations precluding widespread use.MethodsCSF and plasma samples were collected from seventy amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) subjects, stratified as A+ and A-. CSF A beta 40, A beta 42, p-tau181 and t-tau and plasma A beta 40, A beta 42 and p-tau181 quantification were conducted using the Lumipulse G assays (Fujirebio), to evaluate the diagnostic performance of plasma biomarkers and assess their associations with CSF biomarkers.ResultsAll plasma biomarkers except A beta 40 showed a very good accuracy in distinguishing A+ aMCI from A- aMCI, A beta 42/p-tau181 ratio being the most accurate (AUC 0.895, sensitivity 95.1%, specificity 82.8%). Plasma biomarkers levels were significantly associated with CSF biomarkers concentration.DiscussionHigh-throughput and fully-automated plasma assays could be helpful in discriminating with high accuracy between aMCI in the AD continuum and aMCI unlikely due to AD in clinical settings.