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Effects of α‐synuclein pathology on synaptic dysfunction and clinical outcomes in normal aging
Joseph R. Winer, Melanie J. Plastini, America Romero, Hillary A. Vossler, Isha Sai, Divya Channappa, Carla Abdelnour, Marian Shahid et al.. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2026-05-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
α -Syn positivity was detected in 9% of CU individuals, a lower rate than in clinically impaired participants with AD (16%) and LBD diagnoses (81%). Compared to α-syn-, α-syn+ CU individuals were older, showed lower synaptic integrity, performed worse on tests of executive function and working memory, and reported more LBD-related non-motor symptoms. Further work is needed to understand the timeline of neural and clinical changes in α-syn+ CU individuals and heterogeneity in disease progression.
Key findings
- α -Syn positivity was detected in 9% of CU individuals, a lower rate than in clinically impaired participants with AD (16%) and LBD diagnoses (81%).
- Compared to α-syn-, α-syn+ CU individuals were older, showed lower synaptic integrity, performed worse on tests of executive function and working memory, and reported more LBD-related non-motor symptoms.
- Further work is needed to understand the timeline of neural and clinical changes in α-syn+ CU individuals and heterogeneity in disease progression.
Why it matters
Among cognitively unimpaired individuals, 9% had α-synuclein positivity, and these people were older, had lower synaptic integrity, and performed worse on executive function and working memory tests. The authors say further work is needed to understand the timeline of changes and heterogeneity in progression.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, 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 | 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 | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 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 | 1 / 7 | Cited 2 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.7× 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 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Elizabeth C. Mormino: h-index 72 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Stanford University: institution h-index 2,684 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 42071168) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
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
Winer, J. R., Plastini, M. J., Romero, A., Vossler, H. A., Sai, I., Channappa, D., et al. (2026). Effects of α‐synuclein pathology on synaptic dysfunction and clinical outcomes in normal aging. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71455
Vancouver
Winer JR, Plastini MJ, Romero A, Vossler HA, Sai I, Channappa D, et al. Effects of α‐synuclein pathology on synaptic dysfunction and clinical outcomes in normal aging. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2026. doi:10.1002/alz.71455. PMID: 42071168.
BibTeX
@article{winer2026-42071168,
author = {Winer, Joseph R. and Plastini, Melanie J. and Romero, America and Vossler, Hillary A. and Sai, Isha and Channappa, Divya and Abdelnour, Carla and Shahid, Marian and others},
title = {{Effects of α‐synuclein pathology on synaptic dysfunction and clinical outcomes in normal aging}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1002/alz.71455},
pmid = {42071168},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71455}
}
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