The King-Devick Test (K-D) is a 1–2-minute, rapid number naming test, often used to assist with detection of concussion, but also has clinical utility in other neurological conditions (e.g., Parkinson’s disease). The K-D involves saccadic eye and other eye movements, and abnormalities thereof may be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-associated cognitive impairment. No study has tested the utility of the K-D in AD and we sought to do so. The sample included 206 (135 controls, 39 MCI, and 32 AD dementia) consecutive subjects from the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center registry undergoing their initial annual evaluation between March 2013 and July 2015; the timeframe the K-D was administered. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves generated from logistic regression models revealed the K-D test distinguished controls from subjects with cognitive impairment (MCI and AD dementia) (AUC=0.72), MCI (AUC=0.71) and AD dementia (AUC=0.74). K-D time scores between 48 and 52 seconds were associated with high sensitivity (>90.0%) and negative predictive values (>85.0%) for each diagnostic group. The K-D correlated strongly with validated attention, processing speed, and visual scanning tests. The K-D test may be a rapid and simple effective screening tool to detect cognitive impairment associated with AD.

Introduction Preclinical studies demonstrate the potential of amylin in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We aimed to lay the foundation for repurposing the amylin analog and a diabetes drug, pramlintide, for AD in humans. Methods We administered a single subcutaneous injection of 60 μg of pramlintide to nondiabetic subjects under fasting conditions. Results None of the participants developed hypoglycemia after the injection of pramlintide. The pramlintide challenge induced a significant surge of amyloid-β peptide and a decrease in total tau in the plasma of AD subjects but not in control participants. The pramlintide injection provoked an increase in interleukin 1 receptor antagonist and a decrease in retinol-binding protein 4, which separates AD subjects from control subjects. Discussion Pramlintide use appeared to be safe in the absence of diabetes. The biomarker changes as a result of the pramlintide challenge, which distinguished AD from control subjects and mild cognitive impairment.