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51/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 51 out of 100. Tau biomarkers

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Of the 250 participants, 121 (48.4%) were female and the mean age at follow-up was 76.06 (SD 0.48). At baseline, the prevalence of Aβ pathology (Aβ42/40 ≤0.082) was 25.9%, t-tau (≥350 pg/mL) 29.2%, and p-tau (≥80 pg/mL) 5.6%, as previously published in a partially overlapping subsample (Kern et al., 2018). Lower levels of Aβ42/40 were associated with a steeper decline in processing speed over the follow-up period (β 0.123; 95% CI [0.018 - 1.042]). No significant associations were found between Aβ42/40 and changes in the other five cognitive domains or the composite score. Additionally, women showed a slower decline than men in the composite score (β 0.248; 95% CI [0.081 - 0.302]). Our results suggest that a decline in cognitive processing speed is associated with lower CSF Aβ42/40 before a decline in other cognitive domains appears. Additionally, our results indicate that females experience a slower rate of cognitive decline than males, between ages 70 and 76, independent of Aβ42/40.

Key findings

Of the 250 participants, 121 (48.4%) were female and the mean age at follow-up was 76.06 (SD 0.48).
At baseline, the prevalence of Aβ pathology (Aβ42/40 ≤0.082) was 25.9%, t-tau (≥350 pg/mL) 29.2%, and p-tau (≥80 pg/mL) 5.6%, as previously published in a partially overlapping subsample (Kern et al., 2018).
Lower levels of Aβ42/40 were associated with a steeper decline in processing speed over the follow-up period (β 0.123; 95% CI [0.018 - 1.042]).
No significant associations were found between Aβ42/40 and changes in the other five cognitive domains or the composite score.
Additionally, women showed a slower decline than men in the composite score (β 0.248; 95% CI [0.081 - 0.302]).

Why it matters

In 250 cognitively healthy older adults followed for 5 to 7 years, lower cerebrospinal fluid Aβ42/40 was associated with a steeper decline in processing speed, but no significant associations were found with changes in the other five cognitive domains or the composite score. The results suggest processing speed decline may appear before other cognitive changes in people with amyloid pathology, but this is an observational cohort study and does not test any treatment.

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Study details

Study designcohort study
Participants250
Effect size48.4%; 25.9%; 29.2%
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 51/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	7 / 12	A cohort study following people over time
Strength of evidence	3 / 5	Rated “moderate” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	4 / 5	2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	250 participants
Effect reported	2 / 3	Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	0 / 7	Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	0 / 5	0.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025
Impact for its field and year	0 / 6	Cited 0.0× 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 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	2 / 4	Last-listed author Silke Kern: h-index 39 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	3 / 3	OpenAlex lists 12 institution(s) in 5 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41447055)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	51 / 100	—

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Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Rombauts, K., Skoog, J., Skillbäck, T. B., Dittrich, A., Zetterberg, H., Blennow, K., et al. (2025). Association Between Decline in Cognitive Processing Speed and CSF Amyloid‐β 42/40 in Cognitively Healthy Older Adults Aged 70, Followed over 5 to 7 Years: Data from the Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Study. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70857_105138

Vancouver

Rombauts K, Skoog J, Skillbäck TB, Dittrich A, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, et al. Association Between Decline in Cognitive Processing Speed and CSF Amyloid‐β 42/40 in Cognitively Healthy Older Adults Aged 70, Followed over 5 to 7 Years: Data from the Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Study. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz70857_105138. PMID: 41447055.

BibTeX

@article{rombauts2025-41447055,
  author  = {Rombauts, Kelly and Skoog, Johan and Skillbäck, Tobias Borgh and Dittrich, Anna and Zetterberg, Henrik and Blennow, Kaj and Skoog, I. and Kern, Silke},
  title   = {{Association Between Decline in Cognitive Processing Speed and CSF Amyloid‐β 42/40 in Cognitively Healthy Older Adults Aged 70, Followed over 5 to 7 Years: Data from the Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Study}},
  journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
  year    = {2025},
  doi     = {10.1002/alz70857_105138},
  pmid    = {41447055},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70857_105138}
}

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