Over the past few years, clinical research dedicated to preclinical Alzheimer’s disease has considerably intensified. In vivo markers of Alzheimer’s disease paved the way for (1) studies investigating the association between pathology and cognitive decline and (2) the launch of the very first preventive trials. Besides brain autopsy, cerebrospinal fluid analyses along with amyloid- and tau-specific radiotracers are now used to detect Alzheimer’s disease. Further advances are expected in coming years, with an improved specificity of tau tracers, novel therapeutic targets, and a continuing increase in our understanding of Alzheimer’s biological processes.
Key Words
Alzheimer’s disease, PET-scan, Amyloid, Tau, Aging
What is already known about the topic?
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the cerebral accumulation of two proteins: tau and amyloid. While this accumulation is asymptomatic over a long time, it eventually leads to cognitive impairment, followed by signs and symptoms of dementia. These proteinopathies can now be detected not only at autopsy, but also by cerebrospinal fluid and imaging (PET scan) analyses conducted prior to death. The development of specific radio-pharmaceutical products targeting either tau or amyloid allows for Alzheimer's disease progression to be assessed over time and space (brain regions), even prior to symptom onset. In addition to their diagnostic and prognostic relevance, these new biomarkers will play a growing role in assessing drug efficacy in clinical trials.