Featured Article Prediction of AD dementia by biomarkers following the NIA-AA and IWG diagnostic criteria in MCI patients from three European memory clinics

Introduction: Proposed diagnostic criteria (international working group and National Institute on Aging and Alzheimer’s Association) for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) include markers of amyloidosis (abnormal cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] amyloid beta [Ab]42) and neurodegeneration (hippocampal atrophy, temporo-parietal hypometabolism on [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), and abnormal CSF tau). We aim to compare the accuracy of these biomarkers, individually and in combination, in predicting AD among mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. Methods: In 73 MCI patients, followed to ascertain AD progression, markers were measured. Sensitivity and specificity, positive (LR1) and negative (LR2) likelihood ratios, and crude and adjusted hazard ratios were computed. Results: Twenty-nine MCI patients progressed and 44 remained stable. Positivity to any marker achieved the lowest LR2 (0.0), whereas the combination Ab42 plus FDG-PETachieved the highest LR1 (6.45). In a survival analysis, positivity to any marker was associated with 100% conversion rate, whereas negativity to all markers was associated with 100% stability. Discussion: The best criteria combined amyloidosis and neurodegeneration biomarkers, whereas the individual biomarker with the best performance was FDG-PET. 2015 The Alzheimer’s Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.