17 Oct Refined Biomarker Model Can Guage Risk of Alzheimer’s In Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Ingrid S. van Maurik, MSc
Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Amsterdam Neuroscience
VU University Medical Center
Amsterdam, the Netherlands

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: CSF and MRI biomarkers are increasingly used in clinical practice, but their diagnostic and prognostic value is not perfect. Furthermore, criteria do not specify how to deal with conflicting or borderline results, or how to take patient characteristics into account. Therefore, optimal use of these biomarkers in clinical practice remains challenging.

As part of the ABIDE project, we constructed biomarker-based prognostic models (CSF, MRI and combined) that enable prediction of future Alzheimer’s disease, or any type of dementia, in individual patients with mild cognitive impairment. When using these models, any value can be entered for the variables, resulting in personalized probabilities with confidence intervals.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Response: Our models aid clinicians and patient in several ways:  It provides clinicians and patients with more specific information, instead of group statistics;  It aids clinicians to understand better what biomarker results mean and thereby could improve communication between clinicians and patients. And, as soon as future disease modifying treatment becomes available, this tool will have high relevance.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: The generalizability of the models is restricted to the use of identical methods for CSF analysis and volumetric MRI measurements. Therefore we are currently working on a ‘supra model’ to improve the models in such a way that they become useable over a wider range of methods.  

No disclosures

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Citation:

van Maurik IS, Zwan MD, Tijms BM, Bouwman FH, Teunissen CE, Scheltens P, Wattjes MP, Barkhof F, Berkhof J, van der Flier WM, for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Interpreting Biomarker Results in Individual Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment in the Alzheimer’s Biomarkers in Daily Practice (ABIDE) Project. JAMA Neurol. Published online October 16, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.2712

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions. 

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Last Updated on October 17, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD