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Elevated cerebrospinal fluid total tau in former professional athletes with multiple concussions
Taghdiri F, Multani N, Tarazi A, Naeimi SA, Khodadadi M, Esopenko C, Green R, Colella B et al.. Neurology, 2019-05-08
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Objective To identify CSF biomarkers that are related to decreased white matter (WM) integrity and poor cognitive performance in former professional athletes with a history of multiple concussions. Methods Concentrations of phosphorylated tau181, total tau (t-tau), and β-amyloid in the CSF were measured in 3 groups: 22 former professional athletes with multiple concussions (mean ± SD age 55.9 ± 12.2 years), 5 healthy controls (age 57.4 ± 5.2 years), and 12 participants (age 60.0 ± 6.6 years) diagnosed with Alzheimer disease (AD). All participants in the former athletes group underwent diffusion tensor imaging to determine WM tract integrity and completed neuropsychological testing.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Taghdiri, F., Multani, N., Tarazi, A., Naeimi, S. A., Khodadadi, M., Esopenko, C., et al. (2019). Elevated cerebrospinal fluid total tau in former professional athletes with multiple concussions. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000007608
Vancouver
Taghdiri F, Multani N, Tarazi A, Naeimi SA, Khodadadi M, Esopenko C, et al. Elevated cerebrospinal fluid total tau in former professional athletes with multiple concussions. Neurology. 2019. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000007608. PMID: 31068482.
BibTeX
@article{taghdiri2019-31068482,
author = {Taghdiri, F. and Multani, N. and Tarazi, A. and Naeimi, S. A. and Khodadadi, M. and Esopenko, C. and Green, R. and Colella, B. and others},
title = {{Elevated cerebrospinal fluid total tau in former professional athletes with multiple concussions}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000007608},
pmid = {31068482},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000007608}
}
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Key findings
- Methods Concentrations of phosphorylated tau181, total tau (t-tau), and β-amyloid in the CSF were measured in 3 groups: 22 former professional athletes with multiple concussions (mean ± SD age 55.9 ± 12.2 years), 5 healthy controls (age 57.4 ± 5.2 years), and 12 participants (age 60.0 ± 6.6 years) diagnosed with Alzheimer disease (AD).
- All participants in the former athletes group underwent diffusion tensor imaging to determine WM tract integrity and completed neuropsychological testing.
- We divided the former athletes group into those with normal ( 300 pg/mL) CSF t-tau.
- Results CSF t-tau in the former athletes group was significantly higher than in the healthy control group (349.3 ± 182.6 vs 188.8 ± 39.9 pg/mL, p = 0.003) and significantly lower than in the patients with AD (349.3 ± 182.6 vs 857.0 ± 449.3 pg/mL, p = 0.007).
Why it matters
Former professional athletes with multiple concussions had elevated cerebrospinal fluid total tau, which the study related to white matter integrity and cognitive performance. It is a biomarker study in a small group, so it does not show how to treat, cure or prevent Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants12
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and 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 | 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 | 2 / 5 | 2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 12 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 | 3 / 7 | Cited 23 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.6 citations a year over 9 year(s) since 2019 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.2× 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 5 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 | 2 / 3 | University of Toronto: institution h-index 1,923 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 31068482) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
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