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44/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 44 out of 100. Lewy body dementia

Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models

Plain-language summary

Surprisingly, levels of strain A and B aSyn species were higher in plasma from individuals with PD compared to DLB in 2 independent cohorts. Lower levels of plasma aSyn strain A species predicted a faster rate of cognitive decline in individuals with PD. Furthermore, strain A and strain B aSyn species were undetectable in CSF, and their levels in brain versus plasma did not correlate. Moreover, plasma aSyn species isolated by aSyn strain antibodies could template aSyn fibrillization, and they could seed formation of aSyn inclusions in cells. Our findings suggest that circulating plasma aSyn strains may impact LBD clinical presentation, particularly cognition. The enrichment of these aSyn species in plasma but not CSF also suggests a potential source outside the brain. ANN NEUROL 2025;98:682-698.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Low

This study found that levels of strain A and B α-synuclein species were higher in plasma from people with Parkinson's disease compared to dementia with Lewy bodies, and that lower levels of strain A predicted a faster rate of cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease. It is about a potential biomarker, not a treatment, cure or prevention.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

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

APA 7th

Kannarkat, G. T., Zack, R., Skrinak, R. T., Morley, J. F., Davila‐Rivera, R., Arezoumandan, S., et al. (2025). Blood α‐Synuclein Separates Parkinson's Disease from Dementia with Lewy Bodies. Annals of Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.27288

Vancouver

Kannarkat GT, Zack R, Skrinak RT, Morley JF, Davila‐Rivera R, Arezoumandan S, et al. Blood α‐Synuclein Separates Parkinson's Disease from Dementia with Lewy Bodies. Annals of Neurology. 2025. doi:10.1002/ana.27288. PMID: 40521808.

BibTeX

@article{kannarkat2025-40521808,
  author  = {Kannarkat, George T. and Zack, Rebecca and Skrinak, R. Tyler and Morley, James F. and Davila‐Rivera, Roseanne and Arezoumandan, Sanaz and Dorfman, Katherine A. and Luk, Kelvin C. and others},
  title   = {{Blood α‐Synuclein Separates Parkinson's Disease from Dementia with Lewy Bodies}},
  journal = {Annals of Neurology},
  year    = {2025},
  doi     = {10.1002/ana.27288},
  pmid    = {40521808},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.27288}
}

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.

How to read this study

Design: our record does not state a study design, so check the methods section of the original before weighing the result.
Size: the record gives no participant count. Look for one in the original before trusting a pattern.
Effect: the record gives no effect size, so the summary above cannot say how large any difference was.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

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Key findings

Surprisingly, levels of strain A and B aSyn species were higher in plasma from individuals with PD compared to DLB in 2 independent cohorts.
Lower levels of plasma aSyn strain A species predicted a faster rate of cognitive decline in individuals with PD.
Furthermore, strain A and strain B aSyn species were undetectable in CSF, and their levels in brain versus plasma did not correlate.
Moreover, plasma aSyn species isolated by aSyn strain antibodies could template aSyn fibrillization, and they could seed formation of aSyn inclusions in cells.
Our findings suggest that circulating plasma aSyn strains may impact LBD clinical presentation, particularly cognition.

Why it matters

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 randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	9 / 10	Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Annals of Neurology)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Annals of Neurology: journal h-index 437 (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	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	2 / 7	Cited 5 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	1 / 5	1.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025
Impact for its field and year	2 / 6	Cited 2.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	1 / 6	Cited by 1 other studies in this library
Still being cited	1 / 4	Cited 5 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	3 / 4	Last-listed author Alice S. Chen‐Plotkin: h-index 66 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	University of Pennsylvania: institution h-index 1,859 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40521808)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	44 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

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