An Alzheimer's biomarker test looks for the biological changes associated with the disease rather than relying on symptoms alone. The markers of interest are amyloid and tau proteins, measured in cerebrospinal fluid, on specialised imaging or, more recently, in blood. A biomarker result is one input to a diagnosis, not the diagnosis itself.
An Alzheimer's biomarker test looks for the biological changes associated with the disease rather than relying on symptoms alone. The markers of interest are amyloid and tau proteins, measured in cerebrospinal fluid, on specialised imaging or, more recently, in blood. A biomarker result is one input to a diagnosis, not the diagnosis itself.
A biomarker is a measurable biological signal. In Alzheimer's disease the established ones relate to amyloid plaques and tau tangles, the two protein changes that define the disease pathologically. Detecting them shifts the assessment from describing symptoms to observing the underlying biology, which matters because several other conditions produce similar memory complaints.
Cerebrospinal fluid analysis via lumbar puncture has the longest track record. Specialised PET imaging can show amyloid or tau directly. Blood-based markers are the newest route and the most practical, and their role in routine care is still settling. None of these is performed at the CNS offices: lumbar puncture and PET are arranged elsewhere, and blood draws go to a laboratory.
Biomarker changes can be present in people without symptoms, and memory problems can have causes that have nothing to do with amyloid, including thyroid disease, vitamin deficiency, sleep apnoea, depression and medication effects. A biomarker result is interpreted alongside a cognitive assessment and a search for reversible causes, not in place of them.
Clinical Neurology Specialists has been physician-owned since 1998, when Leo Germin, M.D., FAANEM founded it. Five board-certified neurologists and four advanced practice providers see patients at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices, each with its own AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratory.
Clinical Neurology Specialists is an adult outpatient neurology practice for patients 18 and older. The practice performs no surgery and operates no imaging suite, infusion suite or interventional pain programme, and provides no emergency or inpatient care.
MRI, CT, carotid ultrasound and lumbar puncture are not performed at these offices. They are arranged at an imaging centre or hospital, and the report is reviewed with you by the neurologist who ordered it.
Physician-reviewed. Reviewed by the physicians of Clinical Neurology Specialists — board-certified neurologists, AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratories, physician-owned since 1998. Reviewed 1 August 2026. This article is general education for adults 18 and older and is not a substitute for a consultation.
Sources and further reading: MedlinePlus: Alzheimer disease; National Institute on Aging; Alzheimers.gov: clinical trials.
Adults 18 and older, at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices. Call 702-804-1212 or request an appointment online.