Towards a sole β‐amyloid‐centered definition of Alzheimer’s disease? Risks and alternatives
Nicolas Villain, Bernard J Hanseeuw, Vincent Planche · 2025
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Description
Nicolas Villain, Bernard J Hanseeuw, and Vincent Planche argue against naming Alzheimer's disease by one protein alone, in a 2025 paper. A US association has proposed rules that call the disease present once a protein called beta-amyloid shows up in tests, even with no symptoms. The authors review the risks of that move from five angles: meaning, public health, philosophy, treatment, and diagnosis.
Most people with the protein never fall ill, so the label would drift away from dementia itself, they warn. Drug approvals could then rest on protein shifts, not on gains patients feel, as happened once before. They favor a rival frame that waits for symptoms or a high chance of them. A middle path could add markers that truly forecast steep decline.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Nicolas Villain, Bernard J Hanseeuw, Vincent Planche |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 2 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |