The relationship between anxiety and levels of Alzheimer’s disease plasma biomarkers

Abstract

Anxiety is highly prevalent in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), correlating with CSF/PET biomarkers and 20 disease progression. Relationships to plasma biomarkers are unclear. Herein, we compare levels 21 of plasma biomarkers in research participants with and without anxiety at cognitively normal, mild 22 cognitive impairment, and AD dementia stages. We observed significantly higher plasma 23 tau/Aβ42 ratio in AD participants with anxiety versus those without, but did not observe differences 24 at other stages or plasma biomarkers. No such relationships were evident with depression. These 25 results support a unique pathophysiological relationship between anxiety and AD that can be 26 reflected in plasma biomarkers, suggestive of heightened neurodegeneration.