Dementia Index Shows Validity for Predicting Age of Onset of MCI, Alzheimer Disease

MONDAY, Jan. 13, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The Florey Dementia Index (FDI) is valid for predicting the age of onset of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease (AD), according to a study published online Jan. 8 in JAMA Network Open.

Chenyin Chu, from The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Parkville, Australia, and colleagues examined whether age at onset of MCI and AD can be predicted in a prognostic study using data from two aging and dementia cohort studies for model development and validation of the FDI: the Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle (AIBL) study and the Alzheimer”s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Data were included for 1,665 AIBL participants, 2,029 ADNI participants, and 93 participants from the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer (A4) study.

The researchers found that the FDI achieved mean absolute errors of 2.78 and 1.48 years for predicting MCI onset and AD onset, respectively. In the simulated trial with A4 participants, the FDI achieved mean absolute errors of 1.57 and 0.70 years for predicting MCI onset and AD onset, respectively.

“The promising results achieved in the present study support the potential clinical use of the FDI model so that timely diagnostics, treatment, and care plans for individuals at risk can be arranged,” the authors write.

The Alzheimer”s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative is funded by contributions from biopharmaceutical companies.

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