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Body mass index and blood volume influence plasma biomarkers and positron emission tomography classification in preclinical Alzheimer's disease
Tovia Jacobs, Courtney O' Brien, Luisa Figueredo, Alexandra Gogola, Naomi L Gaggi, Brian Hurwitz, Elizabeth Pirraglia, Shimon Herzog et al.. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2025-10
Topic: Plasma and spinal-fluid biomarkers
Elevated BMI/BV associated with lower BBM concentrations, especially for p-Tau217 and NfL, independent of brain amyloid burden. BMI-stratified thresholds improved amyloid PET prediction, with higher BBM thresholds and area under the curve (AUC) values seen in normal weight compared to overweight or obese participants. Drastic BMI/BV declines due to weight loss increased BBM variability and systematic PET misclassification. Adjusting for BMI/BV in BBM-based diagnostics appears to improve accuracy and reliable detection of AD pathology, especially in preclinical stages. HIGHLIGHTS: Body mass index (BMI) and blood volume (BV) significantly influenced plasma BBM concentrations in cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals. Blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) associated more strongly with BV than with BMI. Dilution effects were independent of brain amyloid burden. BMI-stratified BBM thresholds improved amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) classification accuracy. Declines in BMI/BV resulted in PET prediction bias and systematic errors.
Key findings
- Elevated BMI/BV associated with lower BBM concentrations, especially for p-Tau217 and NfL, independent of brain amyloid burden.
- BMI-stratified thresholds improved amyloid PET prediction, with higher BBM thresholds and area under the curve (AUC) values seen in normal weight compared to overweight or obese participants.
- Drastic BMI/BV declines due to weight loss increased BBM variability and systematic PET misclassification.
- Adjusting for BMI/BV in BBM-based diagnostics appears to improve accuracy and reliable detection of AD pathology, especially in preclinical stages.
- HIGHLIGHTS: Body mass index (BMI) and blood volume (BV) significantly influenced plasma BBM concentrations in cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
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. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 26 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 46 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| 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) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41074913) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 26 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 26 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 46 out of 100. |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
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APA 7th
Jacobs, T., Brien, C. O., Figueredo, L., Gogola, A., Gaggi, N. L., Hurwitz, B., et al. (2025). Body mass index and blood volume influence plasma biomarkers and positron emission tomography classification in preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70765
Vancouver
Jacobs T, Brien CO, Figueredo L, Gogola A, Gaggi NL, Hurwitz B, et al. Body mass index and blood volume influence plasma biomarkers and positron emission tomography classification in preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz.70765. PMID: 41074913.
BibTeX
@article{jacobs2025-41074913,
author = {Jacobs, Tovia and Brien, Courtney O' and Figueredo, Luisa and Gogola, Alexandra and Gaggi, Naomi L and Hurwitz, Brian and Pirraglia, Elizabeth and Herzog, Shimon and others},
title = {{Body mass index and blood volume influence plasma biomarkers and positron emission tomography classification in preclinical Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz.70765},
pmid = {41074913},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70765}
}