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Tau/Aß42
Also known as: Alzheimer biomarkers Formal name: Amyloid Beta 42 peptide and Tau protein Related tests: ApoE, PSEN1
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Common Questions
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1. My mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Shouldn’t I be tested for Aß42 and Tau protein levels to see if I am at risk?
2. How is Alzheimer’s disease definitively diagnosed?
1. My mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Shouldn’t I be tested for Aß42 and Tau protein levels to see if I am at risk?
Aß42 and Tau protein levels are not screening tests. They cannot predict your risk of having AD.
2. How is Alzheimer’s disease definitively diagnosed?
Alzheimer's Disease is currently diagnosed based on cognitive changes and by ruling out other causes of these changes. It is definitively confirmed after death, by looking for microscopic changes in a person’s brain tissue. The microscopic evaluation involves looking for the number of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles found in the brain. Since plaque and tangle formation is also seen in normal aging, the sample must be compared to a control sample, normal (non-AD) brain tissue from a person of the same age. If your doctor diagnoses you with Alzheimer’s, it will be either with possible Alzheimer’s Disease (meaning it could be due to another cause, such as a stroke) or probable Alzheimer’s Disease (meaning they have ruled out as many other causes as possible AND that you have symptoms. Sometimes other indications, such as characteristic changes on brain scans and/or low Aß42 and high Tau protein levels in CSF may be ordered to help in the diagnosis.)
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This article was last reviewed on
December 6, 2004.
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