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Factors affecting Aβ plasma levels and their utility as biomarkers in ADNI
Toledo JB, Vanderstichele H, Figurski M, Aisen PS, Petersen RC, Weiner MW, Jack CR, Jagust W et al.. Acta neuropathologica, 2011-07-30
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Previous studies of Aβ plasma as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD) obtained conflicting results. We here included 715 subjects with baseline Aβ(1-40) and Aβ(1-42) plasma measurement (50% with 4 serial annual measurements): 205 cognitively normal controls (CN), 348 patients mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 162 with AD. We assessed the factors that modified their concentrations and correlated these values with PIB PET, MRI and tau and Aβ(1-42) measures in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Association between Aβ and diagnosis (baseline and prospective) was assessed. A number of health conditions were associated with altered concentrations of plasma Aβ. The effect of age differed according to AD stage. Plasma Aβ(1-42) showed mild correlation with other biomarkers of Aβ pathology and were associated with infarctions in MRI. Longitudinal measurements of Aβ(1-40) and Aβ(1-42) plasma levels showed modest value as a prognostic factor for clinical progression. Our longitudinal study of complementary measures of Aβ pathology (PIB, CSF and plasma Aβ) and other biomarkers in a cohort with an extensive neuropsychological battery is significant because it shows that plasma Aβ measurements have limited value for disease classification and modest value as prognostic factors over the 3-year follow-up. However, with longer follow-up, within subject plasma Aβ measurements could be used as a simple and minimally invasive screen to identify those at increased risk for AD. Our study emphasizes the need for a better understanding of the biology and dynamics of plasma Aβ as well as the need for longer term studies to determine the clinical utility of measuring plasma Aβ.
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APA 7th
Toledo, J. B., Vanderstichele, H., Figurski, M., Aisen, P. S., Petersen, R. C., Weiner, M. W., et al. (2011). Factors affecting Aβ plasma levels and their utility as biomarkers in ADNI. Acta neuropathologica. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-011-0861-8
Vancouver
Toledo JB, Vanderstichele H, Figurski M, Aisen PS, Petersen RC, Weiner MW, et al. Factors affecting Aβ plasma levels and their utility as biomarkers in ADNI. Acta neuropathologica. 2011. doi:10.1007/s00401-011-0861-8. PMID: 21805181.
BibTeX
@article{toledo2011-21805181,
author = {Toledo, J. B. and Vanderstichele, H. and Figurski, M. and Aisen, P. S. and Petersen, R. C. and Weiner, M. W. and Jack, C. R. and Jagust, W. and others},
title = {{Factors affecting Aβ plasma levels and their utility as biomarkers in ADNI}},
journal = {Acta neuropathologica},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1007/s00401-011-0861-8},
pmid = {21805181},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-011-0861-8}
}
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Key findings
- Previous studies of Aβ plasma as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD) obtained conflicting results.
- A number of health conditions were associated with altered concentrations of plasma Aβ.
- Plasma Aβ(1-42) showed mild correlation with other biomarkers of Aβ pathology and were associated with infarctions in MRI.
- Our longitudinal study of complementary measures of Aβ pathology (PIB, CSF and plasma Aβ) and other biomarkers in a cohort with an extensive neuropsychological battery is significant because it shows that plasma Aβ measurements have limited value for disease classification and modest value as prognostic factors over the 3-year follow-up.
- However, with longer follow-up, within subject plasma Aβ measurements could be used as a simple and minimally invasive screen to identify those at increased risk for AD.
Why it matters
Plasma Aβ measurements had limited value for classifying who had Alzheimer's disease and only modest value for predicting progression over 3 years. The authors suggest that longer follow-up with repeated plasma Aβ measurements might be needed before these tests could be useful.
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants715
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 66/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Acta neuropathologica) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Acta Neuropathologica: journal h-index 287 (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 | 2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 715 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) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 178 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 10.5 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 23 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 20 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Leslie M. Shaw: h-index 128 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, Berkeley: institution h-index 2,012 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 11 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21805181) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 66 / 100 | — |
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