Doctors and researchers have long sought a way to predict who will develop the devastating, memory-robbing illness that is Alzheimer’s. Now, consumers in the US can learn about their own risk from a new blood test—but is it actually worth taking?
. As a person ages, amyloid beta tends to accumulate in the brain and can eventually form plaques, which are linked to Alzheimer’s disease. It’s thought that these clumps build up many years before memory loss and confusion appear.
The test doesn’t give a definitive diagnosis, nor does it estimate how likely a person is to develop Alzheimer’s. Instead, it measures the ratio of one form of the protein to another. A lower ratio suggests more amyloid plaques and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s, while a higher one suggests the opposite.
In an email to WIRED, Michael Racke, Quest’s medical director of neurology, said the test was 89 percent accurate at identifying people with elevated levels of amyloid in the brain and 71 percent accurate at ruling out those who did not have elevated amyloid, based on data the company presented at the 2022 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
Some experts question the usefulness of the test, especially for those who are cognitively healthy. “It can be very empowering to check yourself, but what does an individual do with that information?” says James Leverenz, a neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic who heads the Cleveland Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. “Most of us would love to have a treatment that we can take before we develop symptoms.” But such a drug doesn’t exist.
Racke says the test will help people take a more proactive approach to their health. “Early detection can help encourage the necessary discussions with a health care provider about steps to minimize risk,” such as smoking and a lack of exercise, he writes. “We encourage anyone who receives a positive result to confer with a physician to discuss next steps and help determine interventions and a management plan that is most beneficial to each individual.
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