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A blood-based predictor for neocortical Aβ burden in Alzheimer's disease: results from the AIBL study
Burnham SC, Faux NG, Wilson W, Laws SM, Ames D, Bedo J, Bush AI, Doecke JD et al.. Molecular psychiatry, 2013-04-30
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Dementia is a global epidemic with Alzheimer's disease (AD) being the leading cause. Early identification of patients at risk of developing AD is now becoming an international priority. Neocortical Aβ (extracellular β-amyloid) burden (NAB), as assessed by positron emission tomography (PET), represents one such marker for early identification. These scans are expensive and are not widely available, thus, there is a need for cheaper and more widely accessible alternatives. Addressing this need, a blood biomarker-based signature having efficacy for the prediction of NAB and which can be easily adapted for population screening is described. Blood data (176 analytes measured in plasma) and Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB)-PET measurements from 273 participants from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) study were utilised. Univariate analysis was conducted to assess the difference of plasma measures between high and low NAB groups, and cross-validated machine-learning models were generated for predicting NAB. These models were applied to 817 non-imaged AIBL subjects and 82 subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) for validation. Five analytes showed significant difference between subjects with high compared to low NAB. A machine-learning model (based on nine markers) achieved sensitivity and specificity of 80 and 82%, respectively, for predicting NAB. Validation using the ADNI cohort yielded similar results (sensitivity 79% and specificity 76%). These results show that a panel of blood-based biomarkers is able to accurately predict NAB, supporting the hypothesis for a relationship between a blood-based signature and Aβ accumulation, therefore, providing a platform for developing a population-based screen.
Key findings
- Five analytes showed significant difference between subjects with high compared to low NAB.
- Validation using the ADNI cohort yielded similar results (sensitivity 79% and specificity 76%).
- These results show that a panel of blood-based biomarkers is able to accurately predict NAB, supporting the hypothesis for a relationship between a blood-based signature and Aβ accumulation, therefore, providing a platform for developing a population-based screen.
Why it matters
This study developed a nine-marker blood test that predicted high brain amyloid burden with about 80% sensitivity and specificity, validated in a second group. It is a step toward a population screening tool, not a treatment, cure or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants273
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 52/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Molecular psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Molecular Psychiatry: journal h-index 318 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 273 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 114 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 8.1 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 10 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 12 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative: h-index 18 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The University of Melbourne: institution h-index 1,342 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 9 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 23628985) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 52 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Burnham, S. C., Faux, N. G., Wilson, W., Laws, S. M., Ames, D., Bedo, J., et al. (2014). A blood-based predictor for neocortical Aβ burden in Alzheimer's disease: results from the AIBL study. Molecular psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2013.40
Vancouver
Burnham SC, Faux NG, Wilson W, Laws SM, Ames D, Bedo J, et al. A blood-based predictor for neocortical Aβ burden in Alzheimer's disease: results from the AIBL study. Molecular psychiatry. 2014. doi:10.1038/mp.2013.40. PMID: 23628985.
BibTeX
@article{burnham2014-23628985,
author = {Burnham, S. C. and Faux, N. G. and Wilson, W. and Laws, S. M. and Ames, D. and Bedo, J. and Bush, A. I. and Doecke, J. D. and others},
title = {{A blood-based predictor for neocortical Aβ burden in Alzheimer's disease: results from the AIBL study}},
journal = {Molecular psychiatry},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1038/mp.2013.40},
pmid = {23628985},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2013.40}
}
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