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Association Between Alzheimer Pathology, Sleep, and Cognition in Patients With Late-Onset Unexplained Epilepsy
Rani A. Sarkis, Hyun‐Sik Yang, Lei Liu, Alice D. Lam, Milena Pavlova, Hernan Nicolás Lemus, Nataliia Kozhemiako, Alexis Hankerson et al.. Neurology, 2026-08-31
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
= 0.032). In individuals with LOUE, elevated plasma p-tau217 was associated with both cognitive impairment and disrupted sleep microarchitecture, with the most pronounced cognitive deficits observed in individuals with medication refractory epilepsy. These findings support the utility of plasma p-tau217 as a biomarker in this population and underscore the role of sleep processes in the relationship between neurodegenerative pathology and cognition in older adults with epilepsy.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Sarkis, R. A., Yang, H., Liu, L., Lam, A. D., Pavlova, M., Lemus, H. N., et al. (2026). Association Between Alzheimer Pathology, Sleep, and Cognition in Patients With Late-Onset Unexplained Epilepsy. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000218476
Vancouver
Sarkis RA, Yang H, Liu L, Lam AD, Pavlova M, Lemus HN, et al. Association Between Alzheimer Pathology, Sleep, and Cognition in Patients With Late-Onset Unexplained Epilepsy. Neurology. 2026. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000218476. PMID: 42673553.
BibTeX
@article{sarkis2026-42673553,
author = {Sarkis, Rani A. and Yang, Hyun‐Sik and Liu, Lei and Lam, Alice D. and Pavlova, Milena and Lemus, Hernan Nicolás and Kozhemiako, Nataliia and Hankerson, Alexis and others},
title = {{Association Between Alzheimer Pathology, Sleep, and Cognition in Patients With Late-Onset Unexplained Epilepsy}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000218476},
pmid = {42673553},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000218476}
}
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Key findings
- In individuals with LOUE, elevated plasma p-tau217 was associated with both cognitive impairment and disrupted sleep microarchitecture, with the most pronounced cognitive deficits observed in individuals with medication refractory epilepsy.
- These findings support the utility of plasma p-tau217 as a biomarker in this population and underscore the role of sleep processes in the relationship between neurodegenerative pathology and cognition in older adults with epilepsy.
Why it matters
In people with late-onset unexplained epilepsy, elevated plasma p-tau217 was associated with both cognitive impairment and disrupted sleep microarchitecture, with the worst deficits in those whose seizures were medication refractory. This supports p-tau217 as a biomarker in this group and points to sleep processes, but it is not a treatment or cure.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 44/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 1 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.5 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Shaun Purcell: h-index 116 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 42673553) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 44 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000218476
- PubMed: 42673553
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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