AlzBiomarker

Alzheimer's Disease vs Control: Aβ42 (CSF)

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Most studies over the past 25 years have consistently found lower levels of Aβ42 in the cerebrospinal fluid of people with Alzheimer’s disease than in controls. In general, levels in the AD group are approximately half of control levels. Meta-analysis of more than 200 comparisons yielded an effect size of 0.552 (p <0.0001). The decrease in Aβ42 in the CSF of AD patients is thought to reflect the deposition of the peptide into amyloid plaques in the brain.

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How to interpret a forest plot: Each individual effect size (ES) is a ratio of the mean biomarker level in one condition over the mean level in another condition. An ES equal to 1 means that the two conditions had identical mean values. An ES > 1 indicates higher levels in the first condition, whereas an ES < 1 indicates lower levels in the first condition. The overall ES, indicated by a black diamond, is a weighted average of the individual effect sizes. The weight of each data point was determined by the inverse of the variance and is reflected in the size of each square. The width of the overall ES diamond is determined by the 95 percent confidence interval. Data out of range of the scale, including ES and confidence intervals, are indicated by an arrowhead at the edge of the plot, when applicable. 

Version 3.0, July 2021.