Appropriate Use of Biomarkers in Neurodegenerative Diseases Causing Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Recent advances in diagnostic medicine have enabled the detection of key biomarkers of dementia – previously only accessible via cerebrospinal fluid, PET or at autopsy – in blood. Preliminary reports on both the sensitivity and specificity of these assays indicate a wide range; this confounds the interpretation of the results, particularly in the absence of readily accessible and proven assessments via cerebrospinal fluid or PET imaging to validate findings. Furthermore, these tests are not yet approved by Health Canada but are being ordered by clinicians in the absence of clinical practice guidelines. This program will provide an overview of the pathology of dementia and clinical stages, differentiate among different types of dementia, review the current landscape of biological markers in neurodegenerative diseases, and provide evidence-based recommendations on the use of these diagnostics. Learners will then independently apply their knowledge to a series of validated cases.


Credits (up to)