Amyloid-β₄₂ Plasma Levels are Elevated in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Issue title: Mini-Forum: Roles of Amyloid-β and Tau Phosphorylation in Neuronal Repair and Protection

Guest editors: Garth Bissette

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: Cammarata, Sergio^a | Borghi, Roberta^b | Giliberto, Luca^{b; c} | Pardini, Matteo^c | Pollero, Valeria^{a; b} | Novello, Cristina^a | Fornaro, Michele^c | Vitali, Antonella^b | Bracco, Laura^d | Caltagirone, Carlo^e | Bossù, Paola^e | Odetti, Patrizio^b | Tabaton, Massimo^{b; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurology, Galliera Hospital, Genova, Italy | [b] Unit of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genova, Genova, Italy | [c] Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology and Genetics, University of Genova, Genova, Italy | [d] Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Firenze, Italy | [e] Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Roma, Italy | Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Prof. Massimo Tabaton, Unit of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genova, Viale Benedetto XV, 6, 16132 Genova, Italy. Tel.: +39 010 3537064; Fax: +39 010 506938; E-mail: mtabaton@neurologia.unige.it.

Abstract: Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is considered a prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We measured plasma levels of amyloid-β40 (Aβ40) and Aβ42 in 191 subjects with aMCI. Seventy-nine of them were clinically followed for two years. In the total cohort of aMCI cases, the average level of Aβ42, as well as the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio, was significantly higher than those of the 102 cognitively normal age-matched subjects. The aMCI cases that converted to probable AD within 2 years had higher levels of Aβ42 and, to a lesser extent, Aβ40 than the stable cases. However the large variability of measured values indicates that plasma Aβ is not a suitable marker of incipient AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, amyloid-β, mild cognitive impairment, plasma

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2009-1144

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 267-271, 2009