What is a marker for Alzheimer's disease: Amyloid Beta, Tau protein, Ubiquitin, or Notch 3?

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Last updated: February 12, 2025 • View editorial policy

From the Guidelines

Amyloid Beta and Tau protein are markers for Alzheimer's disease.

Key Biomarkers

  • Amyloid Beta (Aβ): Deposits of Aβ in the brain are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, and low levels of Aβ42 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or evidence of Aβ deposition on positron-emission tomography (PET) scans are considered markers of the disease 1.
  • Tau protein: Elevated levels of total tau or phosphorylated-tau (p-tau) in CSF are also considered markers of Alzheimer's disease, with p-tau being a strong marker of neuronal injury associated with the disease 1, 2.

Diagnostic Criteria

The presence of both Aβ and tau biomarker positivity is required to establish a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, as either biomarker alone may not be specific to the disease 3.

Biomarker Combinations

The combination of low CSF Aβ42 and elevated CSF tau provides a high likelihood of progression to Alzheimer's disease in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) 1.

Blood Biomarkers

Plasma phosphorylated tau (p-tau) assays have been developed as blood biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease, with p-tau181, p-tau217, and p-tau231 being specific to the disease and able to differentiate it from other tauopathies 2.

From the Research

Markers for Alzheimer's Disease

The following are considered markers for Alzheimer's disease:

  • Amyloid Beta: implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and considered a main pathological hallmark 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
  • Tau protein: also implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and considered a main pathological hallmark 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ### Less Relevant Markers The following are less directly relevant as markers for Alzheimer's disease:
  • Ubiquitin: altered ubiquitin signaling has been linked to Alzheimer's disease, but it is not as directly implicated as Amyloid Beta or Tau protein 5, 6
  • Notch 3: there is no evidence in the provided studies to suggest that Notch 3 is a marker for Alzheimer's disease ### Key Biomarkers The key biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease are:
  • Amyloid-β (Aβ) 8
  • Phosphorylated Tau (p-Tau) 7, 8

Professional Medical Disclaimer

This information is intended for healthcare professionals. Any medical decision-making should rely on clinical judgment and independently verified information. The content provided herein does not replace professional discretion and should be considered supplementary to established clinical guidelines. Healthcare providers should verify all information against primary literature and current practice standards before application in patient care. Dr.Oracle assumes no liability for clinical decisions based on this content.