Cited by 333Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchAlzheimer's disease research and treatmentsCancer-related cognitive impairment studies

Age-specific and sex-specific prevalence of cerebral β-amyloidosis, tauopathy, and neurodegeneration in cognitively unimpaired individuals aged 50–95 years: a cross-sectional study

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Jack, Clifford R, Wiste, Heather J, Weigand, Stephen D, Therneau, Terry M, Knopman, David S, Lowe, Val, Vemuri, Prashanthi, Mielke, Michelle M +6 more·2017·The Lancet Neurology

Abstract

Background A new classification for biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease and cognitive ageing research is based on grouping the markers into three categories: amyloid deposition (A), tauopathy (T), and neurodegeneration or neuronal injury (N). Dichotomising these biomarkers as normal or abnormal results in eight possible profiles. We determined the clinical characteristics and prevalence of each ATN profile in cognitively unimpaired individuals aged 50 years and older. Methods All participants were in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, a population-based study that uses a medical records linkage system to enumerate all individuals aged 50-89 years in Olmsted County, MN, USA. Potential participants are randomly selected, stratified by age and sex, and invited to participate in cognitive assessments; individuals without medical contraindications are invited to participate in brain imaging studies. Participants who were judged clinically as having no cognitive impairment and underwent multimodality imaging between Oct 11, 2006, and Oct 5, 2016, were included in the current study. Participants were classified as having normal (A-) or abnormal (A+) amyloid using amyloid PET, normal (T-) or abnormal (T+) tau using tau PET, and normal (N-) or abnormal (N+) neurodegeneration or neuronal injury using cortical thickness assessed by MRI. We used the cutoff points of standard uptake value ratio (SUVR) 1·42 (centiloid 19) for amyloid PET, 1·23 SUVR for tau PET, and 2·67 mm for MRI cortical thickness. Age-specific and sex-specific prevalences of the eight groups were determined using multinomial models combining data from 435 individuals with amyloid PET, tau PET, and MRI assessments, and 1113 individuals who underwent amyloid PET and MRI, but not tau PET imaging. Findings The numbers of participants in each profile group were 165 A-T-N-, 35 A-T+N-, 63 A-T-N+, 19 A-T+N+, 44 A+T-N-, 25 A+T+N-, 35 A+T-N+, and 49 A+T+N+. Age differed by ATN group (p<0·0001), ranging from a median 58 years (IQR 55-64) in A-T-N- and 57 years (54-64) in A-T+N- to a median 80 years (75-84) in A+T-N+ and 79 years (73-87) in A+T+N+. The number of APOE ε4 carriers differed by ATN group (p=0·04), with carriers roughly twice as frequent in each A+ group versus the corresponding A- group. White matter hyperintensity volume (p<0·0001) and cognitive performance (p<0·0001) also differed by ATN group. Tau PET and neurodegeneration biomarkers were discordant in most individuals who would be categorised as stage 2 or 3 preclinical Alzheimer's disease (A+T+N-, A+T-N+, and A+T+N+; 86% at age 65 years and 51% at age 80 years) or with suspected non-Alzheimer's pathophysiology (A-T+N-, A-T-N+, and A-T+N+; 92% at age 65 years and 78% at age 80 years). From age 50 years, A-T-N- prevalence declined and A+T+N+ and A-T+N+ prevalence increased. In both men and women, A-T-N- was the most prevalent until age late 70s. After about age 80 years, A+T+N+ was most prevalent. By age 85 years, more than 90% of men and women had one or more biomarker abnormalities. Interpretation Biomarkers of fibrillar tau deposition can be included with those of β-amyloidosis and neurodegeneration or neuronal injury to more fully characterise the heterogeneous pathological profiles in the population. Both amyloid- dependent and amyloid-independent pathological profiles can be identified in the cognitively unimpaired population. The prevalence of each ATN group changed substantially with age, with progression towards more biomarker abnormalities among individuals who remained cognitively unimpaired. Funding National Institute on Aging (part of the US National Institutes of Health), the Alexander Family Professorship of Alzheimer's Disease Research, the Mayo Clinic, and the GHR Foundation.

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  • Up to 60% of CU individuals over age 80 years have AD neuropathologic changes at autopsy or by biomarkers.

    “Up to 60% of CU individuals over age 80 years have AD neuropathologic changes at autopsy or by biomarkers [60,152,212–214].”

    From NIA‐AA Research Framework: Toward a biological definition of Alzheimer's disease (2018) · cites this paper as [152]

    The Results and Discussion report that the A+T+N+ biomarker profile becomes the most prevalent profile among cognitively normal individuals after about age 80. However, our copy does not give a 60% prevalence for AD changes in that age group; the Findings’ figure of over 90% at age 85 includes any biomarker abnormality, including non-AD profiles. This study assessed imaging biomarkers, not autopsy findings. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • A+T−(N)+ represents evidence of comorbidity, that is, A+T− represents Alzheimer's pathologic change while in the A+T− context, (N)+ represents evidence of non-AD neurodegeneration/neuronal injury.

    “We believe that A+T−(N)+ represents evidence of comorbidity, that is, A+T− represents Alzheimer’s pathologic change while in the A+T− context, (N) + represents evidence of non-AD neurodegeneration/neuronal injury [152] and thus A+T−(N)− and A+T−(N)+ indicate meaningfully different pathologic states [153].”

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  1. [2]McKhann GM Knopman DS Chertkow H Hyman BT Jack CR Jr Kawas CH Klunk WE Koroshetz WJ Manly JJ Mayeux R Mohs RC Morric JC Rosser MN Scheltens P Thies W Weintraub S Phelps CH The diagnosis of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease: Recommendations from the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Assocation Workgrou Alzheimers Dement 2011 7 3 263 9 21514250 PMC3312024
  2. [17]Schwarz AJ Yu P Miller BB Shcherbinin S Dickson J Navitsky M Joshi AD Devous MD Sr Mintun MS Regional profiles of the candidate tau PET ligand 18F-AV-1451 recapitulate key features of Braak histopathologicalstages Brain: a journal of neurology 2016 139 Pt 5 1539 50 26936940

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Authors
Jack, C. R., Wiste, H. J., Weigand, S. D., Therneau, T. M., Knopman, D. S., Lowe, V., Vemuri, P., Mielke, M. M., Roberts, R. O., Machulda, M. M., Senjem, M. L., Gunter, J. L., Rocca, W. A., & Petersen, R. C.
Affiliations
Mayo Clinic (US)
Corresponding author
Jack, Clifford R
Venue
The Lancet Neurology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-06
Volume
16
Issue
6
Pages
435-444
ISSN
1474-4422 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2608642452
Cited by
333
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 28 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 46 · 2018: 41 · 2017: 9
FWCI
29.66
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Lancet Neurology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Mayo Clinic
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG034676, U01AG006786, R01AG011378, R01AG041851, R37AG011378)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS097495)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Cancer-related cognitive impairment studies
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease biomarkers, tauopathy, neurodegeneration, cognitively unimpaired older adults, amyloid PET, tau PET, cortical thickness, prevalence, age-specific prevalence, sex differences, Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, cognitive aging, neuroimaging biomarkers, centiloid, standard uptake value ratio, multimodal neuroimaging
MeSH terms
Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Amyloidosis, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Minnesota, Sex Factors, Biomarkers, Prevalence, Amyloid beta-Peptides, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Tauopathies, Positron-Emission Tomography

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