an In The Media Appearance
"Subclinical Brain Levels of Amyloid Predict Tau Deposition in Aging" - Psych Congress Network. 04/26/2018
A study by UC-Berkeley’s Stephanie Leal, Samuel Lockhart, Anne Maass, Rachel Bell and William Jagust used PET imaging to investigate amyloid accumulation in the brain at the earliest stages of AD pathology, and to determine whether it’s possible to predict subsequent tau deposition and memory decline in cognitively normal older adults. They found that both baseline levels of amyloid and beta-amyloid (Aβ) accumulation strongly predicted subsequent tau deposition over a period of about five years in brain regions associated with AD. Current early detection of AD relies on “positive” or “negative” classifications for biomarkers related to the core pathology of Aβ. However, the accumulation of Aβ begins slowly, years before biomarkers become abnormal. Earlier detection provides the potential for slowing disease progression.