Home › Research › Mild cognitive impairment
Fluid biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease - current concepts
Rosén C, Hansson O, Blennow K, Zetterberg H.. Molecular neurodegeneration, 2013-06-21
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
The diagnostic guidelines of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have recently been updated to include brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, with the aim of increasing the certainty of whether a patient has an ongoing AD neuropathologic process or not. The CSF biomarkers total tau (T-tau), hyperphosphorylated tau (P-tau) and the 42 amino acid isoform of amyloid β (Aβ42) reflect the core pathologic features of AD, which are neuronal loss, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular senile plaques. Since the pathologic processes of AD start decades before the first symptoms, these biomarkers may provide means of early disease detection. The updated guidelines identify three different stages of AD: preclinical AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD and AD with dementia. In this review, we aim to summarize the CSF biomarker data available for each of these stages. We also review results from blood biomarker studies. In summary, the core AD CSF biomarkers have high diagnostic accuracy both for AD with dementia and to predict incipient AD (MCI due to AD). Longitudinal studies on healthy elderly and recent cross-sectional studies on patients with dominantly inherited AD mutations have also found biomarker changes in cognitively normal at-risk individuals. This will be important if disease-modifying treatment becomes available, given that treatment will probably be most effective early in the disease. An important prerequisite for this is trustworthy analyses. Since measurements vary between studies and laboratories, standardization of analytical as well as pre-analytical procedures will be essential. This process is already initiated. Apart from filling diagnostic roles, biomarkers may also be utilized for prognosis, disease progression, development of new treatments, monitoring treatment effects and for increasing the knowledge about pathologic processes coupled to the disease. Hence, the search for new biomarkers continues. Several candidate biomarkers have been found in CSF, and although biomarkers in blood have been harder to find, some recent studies have presented encouraging results. But before drawing any major conclusions, these results need to be verified in independent studies.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Rosén, C., Hansson, O., Blennow, K., & Zetterberg, H. (2013). Fluid biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease - current concepts. Molecular neurodegeneration. https://doi.org/10.1186/1750-1326-8-20
Vancouver
Rosén C, Hansson O, Blennow K, Zetterberg H. Fluid biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease - current concepts. Molecular neurodegeneration. 2013. doi:10.1186/1750-1326-8-20. PMID: 23800368.
BibTeX
@article{rosen2013-23800368,
author = {Rosén, C. and Hansson, O. and Blennow, K. and Zetterberg, H.},
title = {{Fluid biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease - current concepts}},
journal = {Molecular neurodegeneration},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1186/1750-1326-8-20},
pmid = {23800368},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/1750-1326-8-20}
}
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.
Key findings
- We also review results from blood biomarker studies.
- Several candidate biomarkers have been found in CSF, and although biomarkers in blood have been harder to find, some recent studies have presented encouraging results.
- But before drawing any major conclusions, these results need to be verified in independent studies.
Why it matters
This review says cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers have high diagnostic accuracy for Alzheimer's dementia and for predicting incipient Alzheimer's disease in people with mild cognitive impairment. It notes that blood biomarkers are harder to find and that encouraging results need verification in independent studies, so this is about diagnosis and prediction, not treatment or cure.
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Molecular neurodegeneration) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Molecular Neurodegeneration: journal h-index 164 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in 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 | 2013 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 214 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 14.3 citations a year over 15 year(s) since 2013 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 25.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 7 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 16 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Henrik Zetterberg: h-index 196 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 23800368) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1186/1750-1326-8-20
- PubMed: 23800368
- Original source →
- Free full text: Molecular Neurodegeneration →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 59.
Later studies that cite this one
7 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Mild cognitive impairment
Also tagged “cerebrospinal”
820 studies in the library carry the topic tag “cerebrospinal”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 820 tagged studies.