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39/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 39 out of 100. Tau biomarkers

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

For the 30 clinically-diagnosed DLB participants, 23 (77%) were SAA-positive. Eight participants had two, and five participants three CSF samples each. Testing was stable over time: the 3 SAA-negative participants remained negative, and 10 SAA-positive remained positive. Comparison of 23 SAA-positive and 7 SAA-negative individuals revealed no significant differences in age (71.1±7.6 vs 73.8±6.3 yr), male sex (91% vs 100%), nonwhite ethnicity (8/23 vs 0/7), or APOE4 carrier status (8/23 vs 1/7). Likewise there were no significant difference in CSF, and plasma, biomarker levels for Aβ40, Aβ42, total-tau, phosphotau181, NfL, or Aβ42/Aβ40, tau/Aβ42, or phosphotau181/Aβ42 ratios. Overall, about 15-30% of both groups met AD-positive criteria depending on which biomarker was used. One of 30 cases, which was CSF SAA-negative, had an autopsy, and showed no DLB pathology, but only AD pathology, with substantia nigra neurofibrillary degeneration. Determination of DLB status using CSF SAA test in this clinical DLB cohort revealed high (77%) positivity. Repeated CSF evaluations revealed that SAA measurements, whether negative or positive, remained consistent over 1-2 years. For the few individuals who were SAA negative, there was no evidence of increased Alzheimer pathology by CSF biomarkers, although the one SAA negative case that came to autopsy was also negative for Lewy body pathology.

Key findings

For the 30 clinically-diagnosed DLB participants, 23 (77%) were SAA-positive.
Eight participants had two, and five participants three CSF samples each.
Testing was stable over time: the 3 SAA-negative participants remained negative, and 10 SAA-positive remained positive.
Comparison of 23 SAA-positive and 7 SAA-negative individuals revealed no significant differences in age (71.1±7.6 vs 73.8±6.3 yr), male sex (91% vs 100%), nonwhite ethnicity (8/23 vs 0/7), or APOE4 carrier status (8/23 vs 1/7).
Likewise there were no significant difference in CSF, and plasma, biomarker levels for Aβ40, Aβ42, total-tau, phosphotau181, NfL, or Aβ42/Aβ40, tau/Aβ42, or phosphotau181/Aβ42 ratios.

Why it matters

In this small group of 30 people clinically diagnosed with dementia with Lewy bodies, 77% tested positive on a cerebrospinal fluid seed aggregation assay, and results stayed the same over 1-2 years in those retested. There were no significant differences in Alzheimer's biomarker levels between those who tested positive and negative, and one autopsy case that was negative for the assay showed Alzheimer's pathology but no Lewy body pathology, so the test's meaning for Alzheimer's disease remains unclear.

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Study details

Study designlongitudinal study
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 39/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and 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 longitudinal study following the same 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	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	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	0 / 4	Last-listed author K. Marder: h-index 3 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	Columbia University Irving Medical Center: institution h-index 1,047 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41511749)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	39 / 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. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Honig, L. S., Kang, M. S., Lamoureux, J., & Marder, K. (2025). Cerebrospinal fluid seed aggregation assay and Alzheimer biomarkers in a Dementia with Lewy Body cohort. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70856_107531

Vancouver

Honig LS, Kang MS, Lamoureux J, Marder K. Cerebrospinal fluid seed aggregation assay and Alzheimer biomarkers in a Dementia with Lewy Body cohort. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz70856_107531. PMID: 41511749.

BibTeX

@article{honig2025-41511749,
  author  = {Honig, Lawrence S. and Kang, Min Suk and Lamoureux, Jennifer and Marder, K.},
  title   = {{Cerebrospinal fluid seed aggregation assay and Alzheimer biomarkers in a Dementia with Lewy Body cohort}},
  journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
  year    = {2025},
  doi     = {10.1002/alz70856_107531},
  pmid    = {41511749},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70856_107531}
}

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