In a recent publication by Clark, Erickson, Basche and Chin, the authors discuss health behaviours of cognitively healthy adults after receiving their amyloid β (Aβ) positron emission tomography (PET) results. Amyloid β is a protein that can accumulate in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease, and PET imaging is a scan that allows clinicians to visualise whether these abnormal deposits are present. Biomarker testing, meaning the measurement of biological indicators of disease such as brain protein buildup, may be the key to the timely diagnosis of Alzheimer disease, as it allows for detection of pathophysiologic changes before symptom onset. Previous research suggested that cognitively healthy adults who are prepared for biomarker disclosure generally understand their results and deal well with the disclosure process. Based on a US cohort study with older adults (65–82 years) recruited from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer Prevention, participants were given their PET results indicating high (positive) or low (negative) Aβ and completed a dementia risk reduction counselling visit.
During the post disclosure counselling session, standard brain health recommendations, the participants’ medical history and risk factors, as well as the development of a brain health focused goal were discussed. The authors found that despite participants reporting to be more motivated to improve their brain health after learning their PET scan results, they did not show meaningful increases in actual health behaviours, such as physical activity, social activity, stress reduction activity or sleep quality. Interestingly, participants were reported engaging in fewer cognitive-stimulating activities seven months after risk disclosure. The findings are all based entirely on self-reported data collected before and seven months after participants received their PET scan results.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2842111