The latest discoveries in Neurology
A concise briefing on the most relevant research developments in your field, curated for clarity and impact.
A clearer blood test for Alzheimer’s pathology
A new study demonstrates that a simple blood test measuring the ratio of two proteins—phosphorylated tau 217 to amyloid-beta 1-42—can accurately identify the amyloid pathology underlying Alzheimer’s disease. The research, involving over 200 participants, shows this ratio outperforms measuring pTau217 alone by significantly reducing the number of inconclusive “indeterminate” results, achieving over 94% accuracy in predicting amyloid status as confirmed by PET scans or cerebrospinal fluid analysis. This dual-threshold approach brings a scalable, accessible blood biomarker closer to clinical reality.
Why it might matter to you:
As a neuroscientist focused on translational models, this work represents a major step in biomarker validation, a process central to bridging preclinical discovery and clinical application. The methodological rigor in reducing diagnostic uncertainty directly parallels the need for precise outcome measures in experimental pain and placebo research. The evolution of accessible, objective diagnostics could reshape patient stratification for clinical trials, including those investigating neuromodulatory and expectancy-based interventions.
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