Home › Research › Biomarkers
CSF α-Synuclein Seed Amplification Assay in Patients With Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders
Anastassiadis C, Martinez-Valbuena I, Vasilevskaya A, Thapa S, Hadian M, Morales-Rivero A, Mora-Fisher D, Salvo C et al.. Neurology, 2024-08-29
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Background and objectives There is no disease-modifying treatment of corticobasal syndrome (CBS) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), 2 disorders characterized by their striking phenotypic, and, in CBS, pathologic heterogeneity. Seed amplification assays (SAAs) could enable the detection of neuropathologic processes, such as α-synuclein (αSyn) copathology, that affect the success of future disease-modifying treatment strategies. The primary objective was to assess possible αSyn copathology in CBS and PSP, as detected in CSF using an αSyn SAA (αSyn-SAA). Secondary objectives were to evaluate the association of αSyn-SAA positivity with other biomarkers including of Alzheimer disease (AD), and with clinical presentation. We hypothesized that αSyn-SAA positivity would be detectable in CBS and PSP and that it would be associated with AD biomarker positivity and β-amyloid (Aβ) 42 levels, neurodegeneration as assessed by neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels, and symptoms associated with synucleinopathies. Methods This cross-sectional observational study included patients clinically diagnosed with CBS and PSP who underwent a lumbar puncture between 2012 and 2021 (Toronto Western Hospital, Canada). CSF was tested for αSyn-SAA positivity, AD biomarkers, and NfL levels. Clinical data were derived from medical records. Results We tested the CSF of 40 patients with CBS (19 female patients, 65.9 ± 8.6 years) and 28 with PSP (13 female patients, 72.5 ± 8.7 years old), mostly White (n = 50) or Asian (n = 14). αSyn-SAA positivity was observed in 35.9% patients with CBS and 28.6% with PSP. In young-onset, but not late-onset patients, αSyn-SAA positivity and AD positivity were associated (odds ratio [OR] 8.8, 95% CI 1.2-82.6, p p p Discussion We detected a frequency of αSyn-SAA positivity in CBS and PSP in line with pathologic studies, highlighting the usefulness of SAAs for in vivo detection of otherwise undetectable neuropathologic processes. Our results also suggest that AD status (specifically low Aβ42) and older age at onset may contribute to αSyn-SAA positivity. This opens new perspectives for the stratification of patients in clinical trials.
Key findings
- We hypothesized that αSyn-SAA positivity would be detectable in CBS and PSP and that it would be associated with AD biomarker positivity and β-amyloid (Aβ) 42 levels, neurodegeneration as assessed by neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels, and symptoms associated with synucleinopathies.
- Results We tested the CSF of 40 patients with CBS (19 female patients, 65.9 ± 8.6 years) and 28 with PSP (13 female patients, 72.5 ± 8.7 years old), mostly White (n = 50) or Asian (n = 14). αSyn-SAA positivity was observed in 35.9% patients with CBS and 28.6% with PSP.
- Our results also suggest that AD status (specifically low Aβ42) and older age at onset may contribute to αSyn-SAA positivity.
Why it matters
This cross-sectional study tested CSF from 40 patients with corticobasal syndrome and 28 with progressive supranuclear palsy for α-synuclein seed amplification. It examines biomarker detection in atypical parkinsonian disorders and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Blood tests & biomarkers →
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants50
- Effect size35.9%; 28.6%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| 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 | 2024 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 50 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 | 3 / 7 | Cited 28 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.0 citations a year over 4 year(s) since 2024 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.5× 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 | 2 / 4 | Cited 28 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Maria Carmela Tartaglia: h-index 64 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University Health Network: institution h-index 870 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39208367) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription Unpaywall, Europe PMC and OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 10 Oct 2026), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
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
Anastassiadis, C., Martinez-Valbuena, I., Vasilevskaya, A., Thapa, S., Hadian, M., Morales-Rivero, A., et al. (2024). CSF α-Synuclein Seed Amplification Assay in Patients With Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000209818
Vancouver
Anastassiadis C, Martinez-Valbuena I, Vasilevskaya A, Thapa S, Hadian M, Morales-Rivero A, et al. CSF α-Synuclein Seed Amplification Assay in Patients With Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders. Neurology. 2024. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000209818. PMID: 39208367.
BibTeX
@article{anastassiadis2024-39208367,
author = {Anastassiadis, C. and Martinez-Valbuena, I. and Vasilevskaya, A. and Thapa, S. and Hadian, M. and Morales-Rivero, A. and Mora-Fisher, D. and Salvo, C. and others},
title = {{CSF α-Synuclein Seed Amplification Assay in Patients With Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000209818},
pmid = {39208367},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000209818}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
1 study in the alzhub library lists this one in its references.
Related studies in Biomarkers
Also tagged “biomarkers”
821 studies in the library carry the topic tag “biomarkers”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 821 tagged studies.