Plasma p‐tau231 in the Alzheimer’s disease continuum: A multi‐cohort evaluation of diagnostic performance, detection of Aβ pathology and preclinical application
Authors: Ashton Nicholas J. , Karikari Thomas K. , Rodriguez Juan Lantero , Benedet Andréa Lessa , Snellman Anniina , Pascoal Tharick A. , Gauthier Serge , Rosa‐Neto Pedro , Jack Clifford R. , Petersen Ronald C. , Mielke Michelle M. , Chatterjee Pratishtha , Martins Ralph N. , Thambisetty Madhav , Varma Vijay R. , Resnick Susan M. , Fox Nick C. , O'Connor Antoinette , Vrillon Agathe , Paquet Claire , Villeneuve Sylvia , Poirier Judes , Group Prevent‐AD Research , Galasko Doug R. , Milà‐Alomà Marta , Minguillón Carolina , Fauria Karine , Suarez‐Calvet Marc , Vanmechelen Eugeen , Zetterberg Henrik , Blennow Kaj 
Published: December 2021

Background

Blood phosphorylated tau (p‐tau) has proven to be the primary candidate as an accessible and scalable biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Both p‐tau181 and p‐tau217 are highly accurate to detect AD within dementia cases. Our recent work in cerebrospinal fluid, however, indicates p‐tau231 to be associated to incipient AD pathology. In light of this, we developed a Single molecule array (Simoa) to detect plasma p‐tau231 and assessed its performance in multiple domains, specifically, its ability to detect preclinical AD.

Method

In all cohorts, plasma p‐tau231 was quantified using an in‐house Simoa method developed at the Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Gothenburg University, Sweden. Data presented in this study are samples acquired from Translational Biomarkers of Aging and Dementia (TRIAD, n=503), King’s College London (n=55), Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (n=145), KARVIAH (n=140), Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (n=430), University College London (n=70), Paris University (n=213), PREVENT‐AD (n=257), University of California (n=309) and ALFA+ (n=385).

Result

In the TRIAD cohort, plasma p‐tau231 demonstrated high accuracy in determining AD from young individuals (AUC=0.95), Aβ‐ elderly (AUC=0.92), Aβ‐ MCI (AUC=0.88) and other neurodegenerative disorders (AUC=0.92). In an autopsy study, plasma p‐tau231 could detect neuropathologically confirmed AD amongst dementia cases (AUC=0.99). In comparing healthy elderly Aβ‐ and Aβ+ individuals, p‐tau231 predicted preclinical Aβ pathology (AUC=0.83). Furthermore, inflection points of the weighted regression curves demonstrate that increases in plasma p‐tau231 occur before plasma p‐tau181 as a function of Aβ deposition load. Plasma p‐tau231 data from additional cohorts will focus on cross‐sectional and longitudinal preclinical datasets. In addition, further data will show the performance of p‐tau231 in symptomatic and presymptomatic PSEN1/APP mutation carriers, memory clinic cohorts, longitudinal neuropathology confirmed and acute neurological injury.

Conclusion

Plasma p‐tau231 is a new biomarker specific for AD pathology and at higher concentrations relative to p‐tau181 and p‐tau217. Our initial results indicate that plasma p‐tau231 is equivalent to p‐tau181 in diagnostic utility but has greater potential as a biomarker to monitor emerging Aβ pathology. This presentation will give an overview of novel cross‐sectional and longitudinal plasma p‐tau231 data, in more than 3000 individuals, that encompasses the AD continuum, familial AD and other neurological conditions.