Amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) and their radiological, biological and clinical characteristics: a plain language summary

What is this summary about? This is a plain language summary of an article published in the journal Brain. People with Alzheimer's disease may receive treatments that target amyloid-β – a protein in the brain that is one of the key characteristics of Alzheimer's disease when it is present in higher levels than normal. This article is about amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), which can be adverse events for people with Alzheimer's disease receiving antibody treatments targeting amyloid-β (known as anti–amyloid-β antibody treatments). This article also discusses ways to identify and manage ARIA.ARIA are adverse events that happen due to amyloid-β buildup in the brain or following treatments targeting amyloid-β. ARIA are identified on MRI scans as swelling or bleeding in the brain, and people with ARIA do not typically have symptoms. In rare cases, ARIA can cause serious symptoms or lead to disability.