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Associations between plasma complement C1q and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease pathology in cognitively intact adults: The CABLE study
Xue RJ, Gao PY, Chen YM, Liu Y, Han BL, Huang YM, Mi YC, Cui RP et al.. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 2025-03-26
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
BackgroundC1q is a promoter of the classical pathway of complement and its massive expression may be associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the relationships between C1q and the major pathological challenges, including amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau deposition, remain undetermined in the preclinical AD phase.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the connections between plasma C1q and CSF AD biomarkers.MethodsThe cognitively intact participants (N = 1264) from the Chinese Alzheimer's Biomarker and LifestylE (CABLE) study were categorized into four groups, including Stage 0 [normal Amyloid-β 1-42 (Aβ 1-42 ), Phosphorylated-tau (P-tau) and Total-tau (T-tau)], Stage 1 (abnormal Aβ 1-42, but normal P-tau or T-tau), Stage 2 (abnormal Aβ 1-42 and abnormal P-tau or T-tau), and suspected non-Alzheimer disease pathology (SNAP) (abnormal P-tau or T-tau, but normal amyloid l
Key findings
- However, the relationships between C1q and the major pathological challenges, including amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau deposition, remain undetermined in the preclinical AD phase.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the connections between plasma C1q and CSF AD biomarkers.MethodsThe cognitively intact participants (N = 1264) from the Chinese Alzheimer's Biomarker and LifestylE (CABLE) study were categorized into four groups, including Stage 0 [normal Amyloid-β 1-42 (Aβ 1-42 ), Phosphorylated-tau (P-tau) and Total-tau (T-tau)], Stage 1 (abnormal Aβ 1-42, but normal P-tau or T-tau), Stage 2 (abnormal Aβ 1-42 and abnormal P-tau or T-tau), and suspected non-Alzheimer disease pathology (SNAP) (abnormal P-tau or T-tau, but normal amyloid levels).
- The changes in plasma C1q levels among these groups and the correlation between C1q levels and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers were performed.ResultsThe results demonstrated plasma C1q levels are lower in Stage 0 (p = 0.010) and SNAP (p < 0.001) compared with Stage 1.
Why it matters
In this study of 1264 cognitively intact adults, plasma C1q levels were examined in relation to cerebrospinal fluid amyloid and tau biomarkers across preclinical stages. It is an association study and does not report any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants1,264
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Alzheimer s Disease: journal h-index 218 (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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,264 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| 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 | 2 / 7 | Cited 6 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.3× 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 | 1 / 4 | Cited 6 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Lan Tan: h-index 102 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Capital Medical University: institution h-index 643 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40138515) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1177/13872877251322808
- PubMed: 40138515
- Original source →
- Free full text: Journal of Alzheimer s Disease →
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's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Xue, R. J., Gao, P. Y., Chen, Y. M., Liu, Y., Han, B. L., Huang, Y. M., et al. (2025). Associations between plasma complement C1q and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease pathology in cognitively intact adults: The CABLE study. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. https://doi.org/10.1177/13872877251322808
Vancouver
Xue RJ, Gao PY, Chen YM, Liu Y, Han BL, Huang YM, et al. Associations between plasma complement C1q and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease pathology in cognitively intact adults: The CABLE study. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. 2025. doi:10.1177/13872877251322808. PMID: 40138515.
BibTeX
@article{xue2025-40138515,
author = {Xue, R. J. and Gao, P. Y. and Chen, Y. M. and Liu, Y. and Han, B. L. and Huang, Y. M. and Mi, Y. C. and Cui, R. P. and others},
title = {{Associations between plasma complement C1q and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease pathology in cognitively intact adults: The CABLE study}},
journal = {Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1177/13872877251322808},
pmid = {40138515},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/13872877251322808}
}
Studies this one cites
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