Clinical and research value of the new diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s disease

The use of biomarkers in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been increasingly emphasized, but the feasibility and value of using biomarkers in clinical practice remain limited. However, the use of biomarkers in clinical and pharmaceutical research about AD may prove quite useful in clarifying the pathology underlying AD and, thus, help in the early identification of effective preventive and therapeutic interventions. Moreover, wide adoption of the new diagnostic criteria will improve comparability of research results across studies, and, thus, allow for the combination and comparison of study results using meta-analytic techniques – the types of analyses needed to definitively answer fundamental questions about the etiology, course, prevention, and treatment of AD.