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Clonal Haematopoiesis Tracks Alzheimer's-like Cortical Atrophy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Suwanlikit, Y.; Crofts, S. J. C.; Moodie, J. E.; Marioni, R.; Robertson, N. A.; Tan, S. H.; Vivithanaporn, P.; Bastin et al.. medRxiv (preprint), 2026-09-12
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
BackgroundClonal haematopoiesis (CH), the age-related expansion of mutated blood stem cells, is detectable in around 10% of people in their seventies, rises steeply with age, and is associated with several diseases. FindingsLongitudinal trajectories of clonality and grey matter volume were significantly associated over 6 years (Std. est. = -0.176, padj = 0.030), revealing a progressive, left-lateralised cortical atrophy pattern affecting medial temporal and parietal regions. This pattern showed significant spatial correspondence with established AD signatures (r = 0.357, p = 0.003), suggesting that clonality is linked to AD-related patterns of neurodegeneration. Subcortical analyses revealed nominal relative preservation of the caudate and did not detect a statistically significant association with hippocampal volume, suggesting potential divergence from the canonical AD subcortical profile. The CIMS confirmed global atrophy but revealed divergent tissue-type and regional patterns, suggesting the two measures may capture distinct aspects of CH biology. InterpretationTogether, these findings suggest that CH burden may mark biological processes associated with structural brain atrophy in cognitively healthy older adults, with clonality showing a regional pattern that resembles the one reported in AD.
Key findings
- BackgroundClonal haematopoiesis (CH), the age-related expansion of mutated blood stem cells, is detectable in around 10% of people in their seventies, rises steeply with age, and is associated with several diseases.
- FindingsLongitudinal trajectories of clonality and grey matter volume were significantly associated over 6 years (Std. est. = -0.176, padj = 0.030), revealing a progressive, left-lateralised cortical atrophy pattern affecting medial temporal and parietal regions.
- This pattern showed significant spatial correspondence with established AD signatures (r = 0.357, p = 0.003), suggesting that clonality is linked to AD-related patterns of neurodegeneration.
- Subcortical analyses revealed nominal relative preservation of the caudate and did not detect a statistically significant association with hippocampal volume, suggesting potential divergence from the canonical AD subcortical profile.
- The CIMS confirmed global atrophy but revealed divergent tissue-type and regional patterns, suggesting the two measures may capture distinct aspects of CH biology.
Why it matters
This study found that clonal haematopoiesis was associated with a progressive, left-lateralised cortical atrophy pattern that resembles Alzheimer's disease signatures in cognitively healthy older adults. It suggests clonal haematopoiesis may mark biological processes linked to brain atrophy, but it is not a treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants1,091
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 16/100
Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. It scored 38 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on impact for its field and year, so that was left out: it earned 36 of the 94 points we could judge it on, which is 38 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (medRxiv (preprint)) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| 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 | 4 / 10 | Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. Hosted on a preprint server. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,091 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 | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| 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 | 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 | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Tamir Chandra: h-index 35 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Mayo Clinic: institution h-index 1,606 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 8 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 36 / 94 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 36 of the 94 points we could judge it on is 38 out of 100. |
| Total | 38 / 100 | Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article. |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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. 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
Suwanlikit, Y., Crofts, S. J. C., Moodie, J. E., Marioni, R., Robertson, N. A., Tan, S. H., et al. (2026). Clonal Haematopoiesis Tracks Alzheimer's-like Cortical Atrophy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. medRxiv (preprint). https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.10.26362681
Vancouver
Suwanlikit Y, Crofts SJC, Moodie JE, Marioni R, Robertson NA, Tan SH, et al. Clonal Haematopoiesis Tracks Alzheimer's-like Cortical Atrophy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. medRxiv (preprint). 2026. doi:10.64898/2026.09.10.26362681.
BibTeX
@article{suwanlikit2026-fc2d0c77,
author = {Suwanlikit, Y. and Crofts, S. J. C. and Moodie, J. E. and Marioni, R. and Robertson, N. A. and Tan, S. H. and Vivithanaporn, P. and Bastin and others},
title = {{Clonal Haematopoiesis Tracks Alzheimer's-like Cortical Atrophy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults}},
journal = {medRxiv (preprint)},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.10.26362681},
url = {https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.10.26362681}
}
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