BACKGROUND: Little is known of possible associations between Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) change over time.

OBJECTIVE: The present study seeks to identify relationships between baseline imaging and fluid biomarker profiles, and decline in IADL utilizing data collated from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort.

METHODS: Generalized estimating equations analysis, adjusted for cognitive deterioration, was applied to a cohort of 509 individuals from all stages of ADNI, including 156 healthy controls, 189 early mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients and 164 MCI patients.

RESULTS: A significant correlation was found between baseline biomarkers, specifically CSF Aβ and FDG PET, and IADL change over a 3-year period in individuals with MCI. Importantly, comparable correlations between presence of pathological biomarker levels and temporal decline in both functional and cognitive performance were also noted.

DISCUSSION: We show that distinct baseline biomarkers may predict latent changes in IADL. Our results necessitate a revision of the commonly held view upholding cognitive changes as the predominant endpoint measure associated with presence of abnormal baseline biomarkers.