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Depressive symptoms and plasma AT(N) biomarkers among cognitively healthy and mild cognitively impaired in a diverse cohort
Dintica CS, Johnson L, Petersen M, O'Bryant S, Yaffe K.. Neurobiology of aging, 2025-11-13
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Depression is a known risk factor for dementia and MCI, but its associations with AT(N) biomarkers remain inconsistent and may differ by cognitive status. We cross-sectionally studied 2929 dementia-free participants from the Health & Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities (HABS-HD). Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was identified as having cognitive complaints, Clinical Dementia Rating scores between 0.5 and 2.0, and at least one cognitive test ≤ 1.5 SD below norms.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Dintica, C. S., Johnson, L., Petersen, M., O'Bryant, S., & Yaffe, K. (2026). Depressive symptoms and plasma AT(N) biomarkers among cognitively healthy and mild cognitively impaired in a diverse cohort. Neurobiology of aging. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2025.11.005
Vancouver
Dintica CS, Johnson L, Petersen M, O'Bryant S, Yaffe K. Depressive symptoms and plasma AT(N) biomarkers among cognitively healthy and mild cognitively impaired in a diverse cohort. Neurobiology of aging. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2025.11.005. PMID: 41242190.
BibTeX
@article{dintica2026-41242190,
author = {Dintica, C. S. and Johnson, L. and Petersen, M. and O'Bryant, S. and Yaffe, K.},
title = {{Depressive symptoms and plasma AT(N) biomarkers among cognitively healthy and mild cognitively impaired in a diverse cohort}},
journal = {Neurobiology of aging},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2025.11.005},
pmid = {41242190},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2025.11.005}
}
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.
Key findings
- We cross-sectionally studied 2929 dementia-free participants from the Health & Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities (HABS-HD).
- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was identified as having cognitive complaints, Clinical Dementia Rating scores between 0.5 and 2.0, and at least one cognitive test ≤ 1.5 SD below norms.
- We defined AT (N) with plasma biomarkers amyloid-β 42/40 (Aβ42/40), phosphorylated tau (p-tau181), neurofilament light (NfL), assessed using SIMOA technology and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based Alzheimer disease (AD) signature cortical thickness.
- Depressive symptoms were measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), categorized as high (≥10) or low (<10).
Why it matters
This cross-sectional study examined depressive symptoms alongside plasma amyloid, tau, and neurofilament light biomarkers in dementia-free and mildly cognitively impaired participants. It does not report any treatment, cure, or prevention, and no conclusions about altering disease course can be drawn from it.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants2,929
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 55/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neurobiology of aging) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Neurobiology of Aging: journal h-index 263 (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 | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 2,929 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) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.5 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.9× 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 | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Kristine S. Yaffe: h-index 155 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, San Francisco: institution h-index 1,915 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41242190) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 55 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2025.11.005
- PubMed: 41242190
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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