Exploring the association between mild behavioral impairment and plasma p‐tau217: Implications for early detection of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract INTRODUCTION Mild behavioral impairment (MBI), marked by late‐onset persistent neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), may signal early dementia risk. While MBI is linked to previously established amyloid‐beta (Aβ) and tau biomarkers, its association with plasma p‐tau217, a promising blood‐based b...

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Main Authors: Maryam Ghahremani, Rebeca Leon, Eric E. Smith, Zahinoor Ismail
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-04-01
Series:Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.70119
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author Maryam Ghahremani
Rebeca Leon
Eric E. Smith
Zahinoor Ismail
author_facet Maryam Ghahremani
Rebeca Leon
Eric E. Smith
Zahinoor Ismail
author_sort Maryam Ghahremani
collection DOAJ
description Abstract INTRODUCTION Mild behavioral impairment (MBI), marked by late‐onset persistent neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), may signal early dementia risk. While MBI is linked to previously established amyloid‐beta (Aβ) and tau biomarkers, its association with plasma p‐tau217, a promising blood‐based biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD), remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the association between MBI and plasma p‐tau217 in dementia‐free individuals from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. METHODS MBI was defined using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) data. Linear regression assessed the association between NPS status and continuous p‐tau217 levels, while logistic regression modeled the association between NPS status and p‐tau217 positivity, using a study‐specific cutoff. Models adjusted for age, sex, education, and cognitive diagnosis. RESULTS Among 101 participants (mean age = 72.0 ± 6.5; 44.6% female), those with MBI had higher plasma p‐tau217 levels (β = 36.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.2–82.0, p = 0.04) and higher odds of being p‐tau217 positive (odds ratio [OR] = 3.06, 95% CI: 1.14–8.70, p = 0.03) than MBI‐ participants. DISCUSSION Findings support the role of MBI in AD risk stratification. Highlights Mild behavioral impairment (MBI) is linked to elevated plasma p‐tau217, a specific Alzheimer's disease biomarker. MBI increases the odds of plasma p‐tau217 positivity in dementia‐free individuals. Findings support MBI as an early indicator for Alzheimer's disease risk. MBI assessment can improve biomarker‐based screening and clinical trial efficiency.
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spelling doaj-art-db298664fdd9412985a0a32b3bd055df2025-08-20T02:20:52ZengWileyAlzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring2352-87292025-04-01172n/an/a10.1002/dad2.70119Exploring the association between mild behavioral impairment and plasma p‐tau217: Implications for early detection of Alzheimer's diseaseMaryam Ghahremani0Rebeca Leon1Eric E. Smith2Zahinoor Ismail3Department of Psychiatry Cumming School of Medicine University of Calgary Calgary Alberta CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry Cumming School of Medicine University of Calgary Calgary Alberta CanadaHotchkiss Brain Institute Cumming School of Medicine University of Calgary Calgary Alberta CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry Cumming School of Medicine University of Calgary Calgary Alberta CanadaAbstract INTRODUCTION Mild behavioral impairment (MBI), marked by late‐onset persistent neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), may signal early dementia risk. While MBI is linked to previously established amyloid‐beta (Aβ) and tau biomarkers, its association with plasma p‐tau217, a promising blood‐based biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD), remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the association between MBI and plasma p‐tau217 in dementia‐free individuals from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. METHODS MBI was defined using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) data. Linear regression assessed the association between NPS status and continuous p‐tau217 levels, while logistic regression modeled the association between NPS status and p‐tau217 positivity, using a study‐specific cutoff. Models adjusted for age, sex, education, and cognitive diagnosis. RESULTS Among 101 participants (mean age = 72.0 ± 6.5; 44.6% female), those with MBI had higher plasma p‐tau217 levels (β = 36.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.2–82.0, p = 0.04) and higher odds of being p‐tau217 positive (odds ratio [OR] = 3.06, 95% CI: 1.14–8.70, p = 0.03) than MBI‐ participants. DISCUSSION Findings support the role of MBI in AD risk stratification. Highlights Mild behavioral impairment (MBI) is linked to elevated plasma p‐tau217, a specific Alzheimer's disease biomarker. MBI increases the odds of plasma p‐tau217 positivity in dementia‐free individuals. Findings support MBI as an early indicator for Alzheimer's disease risk. MBI assessment can improve biomarker‐based screening and clinical trial efficiency.https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.70119Alzheimer's diseasedata‐driven cutoffGaussian mixture modelingmild behavioral impairmentneuropsychiatric symptomsplasma p‐tau217
spellingShingle Maryam Ghahremani
Rebeca Leon
Eric E. Smith
Zahinoor Ismail
Exploring the association between mild behavioral impairment and plasma p‐tau217: Implications for early detection of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring
Alzheimer's disease
data‐driven cutoff
Gaussian mixture modeling
mild behavioral impairment
neuropsychiatric symptoms
plasma p‐tau217
title Exploring the association between mild behavioral impairment and plasma p‐tau217: Implications for early detection of Alzheimer's disease
title_full Exploring the association between mild behavioral impairment and plasma p‐tau217: Implications for early detection of Alzheimer's disease
title_fullStr Exploring the association between mild behavioral impairment and plasma p‐tau217: Implications for early detection of Alzheimer's disease
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the association between mild behavioral impairment and plasma p‐tau217: Implications for early detection of Alzheimer's disease
title_short Exploring the association between mild behavioral impairment and plasma p‐tau217: Implications for early detection of Alzheimer's disease
title_sort exploring the association between mild behavioral impairment and plasma p tau217 implications for early detection of alzheimer s disease
topic Alzheimer's disease
data‐driven cutoff
Gaussian mixture modeling
mild behavioral impairment
neuropsychiatric symptoms
plasma p‐tau217
url https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.70119
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