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Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease using blood tests—p-tau biomarkers not as disease-specific as previously thought

Elevated levels of p-tau 181 and 217 in cerebrospinal fluid are considered to reflect early Alzheimer’s disease pathology. However, biomarker detection, which is now part of the diagnostic criteria, requires a lumbar puncture that can be invasive for patients. Recent studies have shown that p-tau proteins can also be detected in the blood of AD patients through highly sensitive assays, which would make diagnosis much easier.