Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers predict decline in subjective cognitive function over 3 years in healthy elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers can predict cognitive decline in healthy, elderly individuals as they have been shown to do in cognitively impaired patient samples.

METHODS: In this study, 57 controls were tested for CSF biomarkers at baseline and then cognitively followed over 3 years.

RESULTS: Low levels of baseline beta-amyloid 1-42 (Abeta42) were associated with development of subjective memory impairment affecting quality of life (memQoL), with a worse Mini Mental Status Examination score and with inability to live in regular housing at follow-up (p < 0.05). The combination of baseline Abeta42 and phosphorylated tau (P-tau) was found to predict development of pathological memQoL with a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 75.7 (<0.01).

CONCLUSION: Low Abeta42 and combined Abeta42 and P-tau predicted subjective cognitive decline in healthy individuals. In summary, this study shows that already in the clinically normal population Alzheimer-disease-related biological signs might be detectable.