February saw the release of revised criteria for the diagnosis and staging of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by the Alzheimer’s Association Workgroup, to align with recent scientific advances — including the approval of therapies that target AD pathology, and the development of reliable and accessible biomarkers. The new criteria define ‘core’ (specific to AD) and ‘non-core’ biofluid and imaging-based biomarkers; diagnosis now relies on the presence of amyloid and tau, with clinical diagnosis of dementia alone being insufficient for AD diagnosis. Although they are not without controversy, these new criteria are broadly accepted by clinical societies and reflect a shift toward biological definitions of neurological diseases beyond AD. Indeed, two frameworks were published this year that outline biological criteria for the staging of Parkinson’s disease — although, unlike those for AD, these are not yet widely accepted or ready for clinical use. Overall, this biological reframing of neurological conditions should better address the priorities of research and clinical care.

Original references: Alzheimers Dement. 20, 5143–5169 (2024); Nat Med. 30, 2121–2124 (2024); Lancet 23, 191–204 (2024); Lancet 23, 178–190 (2024)

2 月，阿尔茨海默病协会工作组发布了修订后的阿尔茨海默病 （AD） 诊断和分期标准，以与最近的科学进展保持一致，包括批准针对 AD 病理学的疗法，以及开发可靠且可获得的生物标志物。新标准定义了“核心”（特定于 AD）和“非核心”生物流体和基于成像的生物标志物;现在的诊断依赖于淀粉样蛋白和 tau 蛋白的存在，仅痴呆的临床诊断不足以进行 AD 诊断。尽管它们并非没有争议，但这些新标准已被临床社会广泛接受，并反映了 AD 之外神经系统疾病的生物学定义的转变。事实上，今年发布了两个框架，概述了帕金森病分期的生物学标准——尽管与 AD 不同的是，这些框架尚未被广泛接受或准备好用于临床。总的来说，这种对神经系统疾病的生物学重构应该更好地解决研究和临床护理的优先事项。

原始参考资料：阿尔茨海默氏痴呆。20， 5143–5169 （2024）;夜晚与。30， 2121–2124 （2024）;柳叶刀23， 191–204 （2024）;柳叶刀23， 178–190 （2024）