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Plasma Biomarker Association with Cognition in Uganda
Jeremy A. Tanner, Roslyn Valdespino, Tiffany F. Kautz, Godfrey Masette, Gabrielle Hromas, Chen‐Pin Wang, Jayandra Jung Himali, Robert Paul et al.. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2025-12-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Raw scores were converted to regression‐based Z‐scores and averaged at the domain and overall level. Result 560 total participants (49% PLWH) were included, and average age was 60.3 years (Table 1). Elevated plasma NfL was associated with worse overall cognition, learning/memory, attention, executive function, and motor performance (Table 2). Elevated plasma GFAP was associated with worse executive function and 62% higher odds of cognitive impairment in this domain. Plasma p ‐tau217, Aβ42/40, and p ‐tau217/Aβ42 were not associated with cognition. Results were consistent in sensitivity analyses adjusted for HIV serostatus. Conclusion Plasma NfL and GFAP are promising biomarkers associated with cognition in adults residing in Uganda, including in PLWH. The lack of association between plasma p ‐tau217 and cognition suggests that cognitive impairment in this younger cohort is being driven by non‐Alzheimer disease etiologies.
Key findings
- Raw scores were converted to regression‐based Z‐scores and averaged at the domain and overall level.
- Result 560 total participants (49% PLWH) were included, and average age was 60.3 years (Table 1).
- Elevated plasma NfL was associated with worse overall cognition, learning/memory, attention, executive function, and motor performance (Table 2).
- Elevated plasma GFAP was associated with worse executive function and 62% higher odds of cognitive impairment in this domain.
- Plasma p ‐tau217, Aβ42/40, and p ‐tau217/Aβ42 were not associated with cognition.
Why it matters
In 560 adults in Uganda, higher plasma neurofilament light was linked to worse cognition across several domains, and higher GFAP was linked to worse executive function, while p-tau217, Aβ42/40 and their ratio were not associated with cognition. The authors suggest cognitive impairment in this younger group may be driven by non-Alzheimer's causes.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants320
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 49/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for effect reported 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 | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following 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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 320 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 | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× 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 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Mark Jacob Siedner: h-index 60 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Massachusetts General Hospital: institution h-index 2,057 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 13 institution(s) in 4 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 49 / 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
Tanner, J. A., Valdespino, R., Kautz, T. F., Masette, G., Hromas, G., Wang, C., et al. (2025). Plasma Biomarker Association with Cognition in Uganda. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70856_106808
Vancouver
Tanner JA, Valdespino R, Kautz TF, Masette G, Hromas G, Wang C, et al. Plasma Biomarker Association with Cognition in Uganda. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz70856_106808.
BibTeX
@article{tanner2025-2217c07a,
author = {Tanner, Jeremy A. and Valdespino, Roslyn and Kautz, Tiffany F. and Masette, Godfrey and Hromas, Gabrielle and Wang, Chen‐Pin and Himali, Jayandra Jung and Paul, Robert and others},
title = {{Plasma Biomarker Association with Cognition in Uganda}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz70856_106808},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70856_106808}
}