Application of QPLEXTM biomarkers in cognitively normal individuals across a broad age range and diverse regions with cerebral amyloid deposition

• Published in: Experimental & molecular medicine Vol. 54; no. 1; pp. 61 - 71
• Main Authors: Lee, Dongjoon, Park, Jong-Chan, Jung, Keum Sim, Kim, Jiyeong, Jang, Ji Sung, Kwon, Sunghoon, Byun, Min Soo, Yi, Dahyun, Byeon, Gihwan, Jung, Gijung, Kim, Yu Kyeong, Lee, Dong Young, Han, Sun-Ho, Mook-Jung, Inhee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul Springer Nature B.V 01.01.2022; Nature Publishing Group UK; 생화학분자생물학회
• Subjects: Aging; Alzheimer's disease; Biomarkers; Brain; Cognitive ability; Diagnosis; Neurodegenerative diseases; β-Amyloid; 생화학
• ISSN: 1226-3613; 2092-6413
• DOI: 10.1038/s12276-021-00719-3

Abstract The deposition of beta-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain precedes the onset of symptoms such as cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease (AD); therefore, the early detection of Aβ accumulation is crucial. We previously reported the applicability of the QPLEX TM Alz plus assay kit for the prescreening of Aβ accumulation. Here, we tested the specific application of the kit in a large cohort of cognitively normal (CN) individuals of varying ages for the early detection of Aβ accumulation. We included a total of 221 CN participants with or without brain Aβ. The QPLEX TM biomarkers were characterized based on age groups (1 st –3 rd tertile) and across various brain regions with cerebral amyloid deposition. The 3 rd tertile group (>65 years) was found to be the most suitable age group for the application of our assay kit. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC, discrimination power) was 0.878 with 69.7% sensitivity and 98.4% specificity in the 3 rd tertile group. Additionally, specific correlations between biomarkers and cerebral amyloid deposition in four different brain regions revealed an overall correlation with general amyloid deposition, consistent with previous findings. Furthermore, the combinational panel with plasma Aβ1–42 levels maximized the discrimination efficiency and achieved an AUC of 0.921 with 95.7% sensitivity and 67.3% specificity. Thus, we suggest that the QPLEX TM Alz plus assay is useful for prescreening brain Aβ levels in CN individuals, especially those aged >65 years, to prevent disease progression via the early detection of disease initiation.