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Cerebrospinal fluid analysis detects cerebral amyloid-β accumulation earlier than positron emission tomography
Palmqvist S, Mattsson N, Hansson O, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.. Brain : a journal of neurology, 2016-03-02
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Cerebral accumulation of amyloid-β is thought to be the starting mechanism in Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid-β can be detected by analysis of cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β42 or amyloid positron emission tomography, but it is unknown if any of the methods can identify an abnormal amyloid accumulation prior to the other. Our aim was to determine whether cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β42 change before amyloid PET during preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Key findings
- Amyloid-β can be detected by analysis of cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β42 or amyloid positron emission tomography, but it is unknown if any of the methods can identify an abnormal amyloid accumulation prior to the other.
- Our aim was to determine whether cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β42 change before amyloid PET during preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease.
- We included 437 non-demented subjects from the prospective, longitudinal Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) study.
- All underwent (18)F-florbetapir positron emission tomography and cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β42 analysis at baseline and at least one additional positron emission tomography after a mean follow-up of 2.1 years (range 1.1-4.4 years).
Why it matters
In 437 people without dementia from the ADNI research study, researchers measured amyloid in spinal fluid (CSF amyloid-β42) and on florbetapir PET brain scans, then repeated the PET scan after an average of 2.1 years. They asked whether either test picks up abnormal amyloid buildup before the other; the study's title reports that the spinal fluid test does, but the summary held here gives no figures for how much earlier. It is a study about the timing of tests, not about treatment, and it does not show who will go on to develop dementia.
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants437
- Effect size1.2%; 0.35%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 72/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 69 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 72 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Brain : a journal of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Brain: journal h-index 503 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| 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 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 437 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 | 6 / 7 | Cited 401 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 33.4 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 30.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 52 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 105 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Lund University: institution h-index 1,119 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 26936941) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 69 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 69 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 72 out of 100. |
| Total | 72 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Palmqvist, S., Mattsson, N., Hansson, O., & Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. (2016). Cerebrospinal fluid analysis detects cerebral amyloid-β accumulation earlier than positron emission tomography. Brain : a journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/aww015
Vancouver
Palmqvist S, Mattsson N, Hansson O, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis detects cerebral amyloid-β accumulation earlier than positron emission tomography. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2016. doi:10.1093/brain/aww015. PMID: 26936941.
BibTeX
@article{palmqvist2016-26936941,
author = {Palmqvist, S. and Mattsson, N. and Hansson, O. and {Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative}},
title = {{Cerebrospinal fluid analysis detects cerebral amyloid-β accumulation earlier than positron emission tomography}},
journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1093/brain/aww015},
pmid = {26936941},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/aww015}
}
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