# The exploration of using plasma biomarkers of p-tau217 and p-tau181 for screening Alzheimer’s disease in very elderly people

## TL;DR

This study explores blood-based biomarkers like p-tau181 and p-tau217 to screen for Alzheimer's disease in elderly individuals.

## Contribution

The study evaluates the effectiveness of plasma p-tau181 and p-tau217 as screening tools for Alzheimer's in very elderly populations.

## Key findings

- Plasma p-tau181, p-tau217, and GFAP levels significantly differ between cognitively normal and probable Alzheimer's groups.
- p-tau181 and GFAP showed high area under the ROC curve (AUC) values, indicating strong diagnostic potential.
- Aβ42, Aβ40, and their ratio did not show significant differences between groups.

## Abstract

Blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), such as phosphorylated tau (p-tau181, p-tau217) and amyloid beta (Aβ), have the potential to serve as screening tools for probable AD in the elderly population.

AD screening [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)] was conducted among very elderly individuals residing in a nursing community and a geriatric hospital. Based on cognitive evaluation, participants were categorized into two groups: cognitively normal (n = 62) and probable AD (n = 78). Plasma concentrations of Aβ42, Aβ40, p-tau181, p-tau217, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were measured using the single molecule array (Simoa) platform. Group comparisons of plasma biomarker levels were performed, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were conducted for each biomarker relative to AD diagnosis.

Significant differences were observed in plasma p-tau181, p-tau217, and GFAP levels between the cognitively normal and probable AD groups (p < 0.01). In contrast, Aβ42, Aβ40, and the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio showed no significant differences (p > 0.01). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.886 for p-tau181, 0.655 for p-tau217, and 0.869 for GFAP.

Plasma biomarkers p-tau181, p-tau217, and GFAP demonstrate clinical utility in distinguishing AD from normal cognition, suggesting that blood-based testing may serve as a feasible screening tool for early identification of AD in very elderly populations.