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Blood phospho-tau in Alzheimer disease: analysis, interpretation, and clinical utility
Karikari TK, Ashton NJ, Brinkmalm G, Brum WS, Benedet AL, Montoliu-Gaya L, Lantero-Rodriguez J, Pascoal TA et al.. Nature reviews. Neurology, 2022-05-18
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Well-authenticated biomarkers can provide critical insights into the biological basis of Alzheimer disease (AD) to enable timely and accurate diagnosis, estimate future burden and support therapeutic trials. Current cerebrospinal fluid and molecular neuroimaging biomarkers fulfil these criteria but lack the scalability and simplicity necessary for widespread application. Blood biomarkers of adequate effectiveness have the potential to act as first-line diagnostic and prognostic tools, and offer the possibility of extensive population screening and use that is not limited to specialized centres. Accelerated progress in our understanding of the biochemistry of brain-derived tau protein and advances in ultrasensitive technologies have enabled the development of AD-specific phosphorylated tau (p-tau) biomarkers in blood. In this Review we discuss how new information on the molecular processing of brain p-tau and secretion of specific fragments into biofluids is informing blood biomarker development, enabling the evaluation of preanalytical factors that affect quantification, and informing harmonized protocols for blood handling. We also review the performance of blood p-tau biomarkers in the context of AD and discuss their potential contexts of use for clinical and research purposes. Finally, we highlight outstanding ethical, clinical and analytical challenges, and outline the steps that need to be taken to standardize inter-laboratory and inter-assay measurements.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Karikari, T. K., Ashton, N. J., Brinkmalm, G., Brum, W. S., Benedet, A. L., Montoliu-Gaya, L., et al. (2022). Blood phospho-tau in Alzheimer disease: analysis, interpretation, and clinical utility. Nature reviews. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-022-00665-2
Vancouver
Karikari TK, Ashton NJ, Brinkmalm G, Brum WS, Benedet AL, Montoliu-Gaya L, et al. Blood phospho-tau in Alzheimer disease: analysis, interpretation, and clinical utility. Nature reviews. Neurology. 2022. doi:10.1038/s41582-022-00665-2. PMID: 35585226.
BibTeX
@article{karikari2022-35585226,
author = {Karikari, T. K. and Ashton, N. J. and Brinkmalm, G. and Brum, W. S. and Benedet, A. L. and Montoliu-Gaya, L. and Lantero-Rodriguez, J. and Pascoal, T. A. and others},
title = {{Blood phospho-tau in Alzheimer disease: analysis, interpretation, and clinical utility}},
journal = {Nature reviews. Neurology},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1038/s41582-022-00665-2},
pmid = {35585226},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-022-00665-2}
}
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.
Key findings
- Blood biomarkers of adequate effectiveness have the potential to act as first-line diagnostic and prognostic tools, and offer the possibility of extensive population screening and use that is not limited to specialized centres.
- Accelerated progress in our understanding of the biochemistry of brain-derived tau protein and advances in ultrasensitive technologies have enabled the development of AD-specific phosphorylated tau (p-tau) biomarkers in blood.
- In this Review we discuss how new information on the molecular processing of brain p-tau and secretion of specific fragments into biofluids is informing blood biomarker development, enabling the evaluation of preanalytical factors that affect quantification, and informing harmonized protocols for blood handling.
- We also review the performance of blood p-tau biomarkers in the context of AD and discuss their potential contexts of use for clinical and research purposes.
- Finally, we highlight outstanding ethical, clinical and analytical challenges, and outline the steps that need to be taken to standardize inter-laboratory and inter-assay measurements.
Why it matters
This review describes blood p-tau biomarkers as possible first-line diagnostic and prognostic tools that could allow wider population screening outside specialised centres. It discusses diagnostic and research use, not a treatment, cure or prevention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Blood tests & biomarkers →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 58/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Nature reviews. Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Nature Reviews Neurology: journal h-index 269 (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 | 3 / 5 | 2022 — within 6 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) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 330 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 55.0 citations a year over 6 year(s) since 2022 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 11.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 30 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 235 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Henrik Zetterberg: h-index 196 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 19 institution(s) in 6 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 35585226) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 58 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/s41582-022-00665-2
- PubMed: 35585226
- Original source →
- Free full text: discovery.ucl.ac.uk →
Full text: free to read — Unpaywall lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
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