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ALZHEIMER DISEASE

Amyloid-β — a reflection of risk or a preclinical marker?

In a recent study, individuals with brain amyloid-β accumulation but no cognitive impairment were classified as being at risk of Alzheimer disease, yet amyloid-β is widely considered to be a pathological biomarker of Alzheimer disease rather than a risk factor — it cannot be both.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the following for funding support: National Institutes of Health (R01 AG011378, R01 AG041851, R01 NS097495, R01 AG056366) and the Alexander Family Alzheimer’s Disease Research Professorship of the Mayo Clinic.

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Correspondence to Clifford R. Jack Jr.

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Jack, C.R., Vemuri, P. Amyloid-β — a reflection of risk or a preclinical marker?. Nat Rev Neurol 14, 319–320 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-018-0008-9

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