Novel methods to detect phosphorylated tau (p-tau) in blood have been recently developed and as more evidence is collected, it seems the different species reflect different stages of tau progression. Pamela Lukasewicz Ferreira, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, talks on one such promising biomarker, p-tau231. Studies have demonstrated that p-tau231 increases early in the development of Alzheimer’s disease pathology, even before the onset of clinically evident cognitive impairment. While other markers perform better at later stages of disease, p-tau231 has been put forward as the most promising candidate for detecting incipient amyloid-beta (Aβ) pathology. It has been shown to accurately predict amyloid-PET positivity and was sensitive to changes in Aβ in particular brain regions known to be most affected in Alzheimer’s disease before global amyloid-PET positivity was reached. This interview took place at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2022 in San Diego, CA.
