Alzheimer's Disease Blood Biomarkers Identified in New Feinstein Institutes Study
26 June 2024 - 8:32PM
Business Wire
Research findings published in the Journal of
the American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry suggest the
potential development of a blood test to help identify the risk of
psychosis from the disease
By 2060, it’s estimated that 14 million people will be living
with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 40 percent of whom will experience
psychotic symptoms. Today, Feinstein Institutes for Medical
Research researchers published findings in the Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry that show an
increase in specific tau proteins throughout the disease,
indicating that these blood biomarkers could be used to detect
psychotic symptoms in AD patients.
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Drs. Jeremy L. Koppel (left) and Jesus J.
Gomar from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research published
the new Alzheimer’s disease research in JAMA Psychiatry. (Credit:
Feinstein Institutes)
The research – led by Jeremy L. Koppel, MD, associate professor,
and Jesus J. Gomar, PhD, assistant professor, in the Feinstein
Institutes’ Institute of Molecular Medicine – looked at 752
participants with a diagnosis of AD or mild cognitive impairment.
They looked at the presence of Plasma tau phosphorylated at
threonine 181 (ptau181) and Neurofilament light chain (NfL), which
have both been studied and proven to be molecular biomarkers
associated with AD neurodegeneration. They studied the connection
over time between plasma levels of ptau181 and NfL and the
occurrence or development of delusions and hallucinations in people
with AD and found that increased levels of both were present and
can be used as biomarkers for psychotic symptoms in AD. The
participants’ information was collected from the Alzheimer's
Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI).
“Psychosis is exceptionally prevalent in people with Alzheimer's
disease, and there is a need to easily detect a person's risk for
developing those behaviors to intervene and improve care
ultimately,” said Dr. Koppel, a geriatric psychiatrist. “This
study’s results show that elevated plasma levels of specific tau
proteins may serve as a biomarker and open up the doors to develop
an easily accessible and accurate blood test to identity psychotic
risk in these patients.”
This study found that individuals with AD who either had or
would develop psychosis had higher plasma levels of ptau181 and NfL
compared to those with AD without psychosis. The levels of plasma
ptau181 rose before the onset of psychosis and then decreased.
However, these effects were less pronounced when looking at
individuals with other tau-related conditions like primary
age-related tauopathy (PART), where ptau181 levels are lower than
in AD.
“Millions of people with Alzheimer's disease need more targeted
and effective diagnosis and treatments, as well as a deeper insight
into its molecular mechanisms,” said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president
and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family
Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. “Drs. Koppel and Gomar’s
new research shows the potential for a blood diagnostic test to
identify the condition and advance our understanding of this
complex and debilitating disease.”
The research detailed clinical characterization and measurement
of the plasma proteins over four years. This work helps set the
foundation for even more longitudinal studies and the measurement
of other related tau proteins, like ptau217.
Dr. Koppel is an internationally recognized clinical scientist
who continues to identify AD's potential causes and treatments. He
recently received a National Institutes of Health grant for nearly
$500,000 to look at ptau181 and others biomarkers in psychosis
before AD begins and a $1 million grant from the Alzheimer's
Foundation of America to expand research into developing new
treatments to address the hallucinations, delusions, and aggression
that come with dementia that funded his work on the current study.
In 2022, he published papers about the role of dopamine, tau, the
increase in psychosis, and the formation of tau through positron
emission tomography (PET) scans.
About the Feinstein Institutes
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the
research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care
provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50
research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000
researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard
of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral
science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, and
molecular medicine. We make breakthroughs in genetics, oncology,
brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and are the global
scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – a new field of
science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more
information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit
http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.
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Matthew Libassi 631-793-5325 mlibassi@northwell.edu