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Evaluating the diagnostic performance of six plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative dementias in a large Chinese cohort
Bin Jiao, Ziyu Ouyang, Yiliang Liu, Cong Zhang, Tianyan Xu, Qijie Yang, Sizhe Zhang, Yuan Zhu et al.. Alzheimer s Research & Therapy, 2025-04-03
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Plasma p-tau217 and p-tau231 were most effective in diagnosing aMCI/AD (AUC = 0.95 and 0.93, respectively), while p-tau217, p-tau231 and p-tau181 presented the best differential diagnosis for AD from PSP, FTD and DLB respectively (AUC = 0.84, 0.81 and 0.83). α-synuclein was presented as the best biomarker for PSP variant and behavior variant FTD subtypes (AUC = 0.81 and 0.74, respectively). Among them, p-tau217, p-tau231, GFAP and a-synuclein were negatively correlated with CSF Aβ42/40, while p-tau217 and GFAP were positively correlated with CSF p-tau181. Besides, p-tau181, p-tau217, and GFAP were associated with temporal lobe volume, while p-tau231 and GFAP were associated with frontal lobe volume. Longitudinal analysis showed the higher p-tau181 could predict the cognitive decline progression. This study validate the practicality of blood biomarkers in the Chinese Han population using a novel single molecule immune detection method. Through the clinical performance study for several biomarkers, we found the plasma p-tau217 was the most effective biomarker in AD diagnosis, and p-tau showed high accuracy for differential diagnosis of AD from other dementia, GFAP is associated with multiple aspects of AD pathology, and frontal and temporal lobe volume, and p-tau181 can reflect the dynamic cognitive decline of AD.
Key findings
- Plasma p-tau217 and p-tau231 were most effective in diagnosing aMCI/AD (AUC = 0.95 and 0.93, respectively), while p-tau217, p-tau231 and p-tau181 presented the best differential diagnosis for AD from PSP, FTD and DLB respectively (AUC = 0.84, 0.81 and 0.83). α-synuclein was presented as the best biomarker for PSP variant and behavior variant FTD subtypes (AUC = 0.81 and 0.74, respectively).
- Among them, p-tau217, p-tau231, GFAP and a-synuclein were negatively correlated with CSF Aβ42/40, while p-tau217 and GFAP were positively correlated with CSF p-tau181.
- Besides, p-tau181, p-tau217, and GFAP were associated with temporal lobe volume, while p-tau231 and GFAP were associated with frontal lobe volume.
- Longitudinal analysis showed the higher p-tau181 could predict the cognitive decline progression.
- This study validate the practicality of blood biomarkers in the Chinese Han population using a novel single molecule immune detection method.
Why it matters
This cross-sectional study found that plasma p-tau217 was the most effective blood biomarker for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease and that p-tau markers helped distinguish Alzheimer's from other dementias. It addresses diagnosis, not treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants668
- Effect sizeAUC = 0.95; AUC = 0.84; AUC = 0.81
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a peer-reviewed 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 | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s Research & Therapy) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Alzheimer s Research & Therapy: journal h-index 146 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in 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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 668 participants |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| 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 17 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 10.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 17 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Lu Shen: h-index 9 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Central South University: institution h-index 699 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40181481) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1186/s13195-025-01712-y
- PubMed: 40181481
- Original source →
- Free full text: Alzheimer s Research & Therapy →
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
Jiao, B., Ouyang, Z., Liu, Y., Zhang, C., Xu, T., Yang, Q., et al. (2025). Evaluating the diagnostic performance of six plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative dementias in a large Chinese cohort. Alzheimer s Research & Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-025-01712-y
Vancouver
Jiao B, Ouyang Z, Liu Y, Zhang C, Xu T, Yang Q, et al. Evaluating the diagnostic performance of six plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative dementias in a large Chinese cohort. Alzheimer s Research & Therapy. 2025. doi:10.1186/s13195-025-01712-y. PMID: 40181481.
BibTeX
@article{jiao2025-40181481,
author = {Jiao, Bin and Ouyang, Ziyu and Liu, Yiliang and Zhang, Cong and Xu, Tianyan and Yang, Qijie and Zhang, Sizhe and Zhu, Yuan and others},
title = {{Evaluating the diagnostic performance of six plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative dementias in a large Chinese cohort}},
journal = {Alzheimer s Research \& Therapy},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1186/s13195-025-01712-y},
pmid = {40181481},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-025-01712-y}
}
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