The Importance of the Validation of M/EEG With Current Biomarkers in Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

Current biomarkers used in research and in clinical practice in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) are the analysis of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) to detect levels of Aβ42 and phosphorylated-tau, amyloid and FDG-PET, and MRI volumetry. Some of these procedures are still invasive for patients or expensive. Electroencephalography (EEG) and Magnetoencephalography (MEG) are two non-invasive techniques able to detect the early synaptic dysfunction and track the course of the disease. However, in spite of its added value they are not part of the standard of care in clinical practice in dementia. In this paper we review what these neurophysiological techniques can add to the early diagnosis of AD, whether results in both modalities are related to each other or not, as well as the need of its validation against current biomarkers. We discuss their potential implications for the better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease as well as the need of performing simultaneous M/EEG recordings to better understand discrepancies between these two techniques. Finally, more studies are needed studying M/EEG with amyloid and Tau biomarkers.