An Alzheimer's blood test measures proteins in blood that reflect the amyloid and tau changes of the disease. It is far easier than a lumbar puncture or PET scan, which is why interest is high, but it is used as part of an assessment in people with symptoms rather than as a screening test for everyone.
An Alzheimer's blood test measures proteins in blood that reflect the amyloid and tau changes of the disease. It is far easier than a lumbar puncture or PET scan, which is why interest is high, but it is used as part of an assessment in people with symptoms rather than as a screening test for everyone.
Until recently, confirming the biology of Alzheimer's disease meant a lumbar puncture or specialised PET imaging. Both work; neither is easy to arrange or comfortable to undergo. A blood sample is ordinary, repeatable and available anywhere a laboratory is, which is why this area has moved quickly.
These tests estimate the likelihood that amyloid-related change is present. They do not measure how impaired you are, they do not predict when symptoms will appear, and they do not by themselves establish a diagnosis. Nor do they exclude the many other causes of memory difficulty, which is why a normal result still needs the rest of the assessment.
The reasonable use is in someone with cognitive symptoms where confirming or excluding Alzheimer's biology would change what happens next: treatment decisions, planning, or eligibility for research. Testing people without symptoms raises questions that current evidence does not answer well, and it is not offered as a general screen.
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; MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
Adults 18 and older, at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices. Call 702-804-1212 or request an appointment online.