Invited Perspective on “Basal forebrain volume is associated with cortical amyloid burden in cognitively unimpaired older adults at varying genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease”

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is typified by cognitive and functional deterioration. Biologically it is driven by the aggregation of misfolded amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers and the phosphorylation of neurofibrillary tau proteins, both of which have been observed to occur years before the onset of clinical and functional symptoms.1,2 Aβ accumulation, observed prior to tau, has therefore been seen as the initial hallmark of future AD progression. This cascading pattern has shaped the direction of current investigations, by focusing on understanding the initial spread of Aβ in cognitively unimpaired individuals, to examine how best to mitigate future cognitive decline.