The A/T/N biomarker scheme and patterns of brain atrophy assessed in mild cognitive impairment

The objective of this study was to evaluate the A/T/N biomarker scheme in relation with brain atrophy patterns in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Of the 154 participants with MCI, 74 progressed to AD within 36-months, and 80 remained stable. In addition, 101 cognitively healthy participants and 102 participants with AD were included. The A/T/N classification was assessed with cerebrospinal fluid markers. Each individual was rated as either positive (abnormal) or negative (normal) on each biomarker. Brain atrophy was assessed with visual ratings from magnetic resonance imaging. None of the individuals with MCI progressed to AD if they had a negative A biomarker in conjunction with minimal atrophy. In contrary, several individuals with MCI progressed to AD if they had a positive A biomarker in conjunction with minimal atrophy. Numerous individuals with MCI showed inconsistency in the neurodegeneration domain (N) regarding t-tau and atrophy. The assessment of the A/T/N classification scheme in addition with brain atrophy patterns in MCI, increases the knowledge of the clinical trajectories and the variability within the neurodegeneration domain. This emphasises that individuals with MCI display heterogeneous longitudinal patterns closely connected to their biomarker profiles, which could have important clinical implications.