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60/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 60 out of 100. Biomarkers

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Importance Blood-based biomarkers associated with increased risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) are understudied in people living with and without HIV, particularly women. Objective To determine whether baseline or 1-year changes in plasma amyloid-β40 (Aβ40), Aβ42, ratio of Aβ42 to Aβ40, total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated tau 231 (p-tau231), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and/or neurofilament light chain (NFL) are associated with neuropsychological performance (NP) among women living with HIV (WLWH) and women living without HIV (WLWOH). Results The study consisted of 307 participants (294 aged ≥50 years [96%]; 164 African American or Black women [53%]; 214 women with a high school education or higher [70%]; 238 women who were current or former smokers [78%]; and 236 women [77%] who were overweight or obese [body mass index >25]) including 209 WLWH and 98 WLWOH. Compared with WLWOH at baseline, WLWH performed worse on learning (mean [SD] T-score 47.8 [11.3] vs 51.4 [10.5]), memory (mean [SD] T-score 48.3 [11.6] vs 52.4 [10.2]), verbal fluency (mean [SD] T-score 48.3 [9.8] vs 50.7 [8.5]), and global (mean [SD] T-score 49.2 [6.8] vs 51.1 [5.9]) NP assessments. Lower learning, memory, and motor NP were associated with 1-year Aβ40 increase; lower learning and motor with Aβ42 increase; lower motor with p-tau231 increase; and lower processing speed, verbal fluency and motor with NFL increase in the entire sample. Among WLWH, a 1-year increase in Aβ40 from baseline to follow-up was associated with worse learning, memory, and global NP; a 1-year increase in t-tau with worse executive function; and a 1-year increase in NFL with worse processing speed. Among WLWOH, a 1-year increase in Aβ40 and Aβ42 were associated with poorer memory performance and NFL was associated with poorer motor performance. Conclusions and relevance These findings suggest that increases in certain plasma AD biomarkers are associated with NP in WLWH and WLWOH and may be associated with later onset of AD, and measuring these biomarkers could be a pivotal advancement in monitoring aging brain health and development of AD among women with and without HIV.

Key findings

Importance Blood-based biomarkers associated with increased risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) are understudied in people living with and without HIV, particularly women.
Objective To determine whether baseline or 1-year changes in plasma amyloid-β40 (Aβ40), Aβ42, ratio of Aβ42 to Aβ40, total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated tau 231 (p-tau231), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and/or neurofilament light chain (NFL) are associated with neuropsychological performance (NP) among women living with HIV (WLWH) and women living without HIV (WLWOH).
Results The study consisted of 307 participants (294 aged ≥50 years [96%]; 164 African American or Black women [53%]; 214 women with a high school education or higher [70%]; 238 women who were current or former smokers [78%]; and 236 women [77%] who were overweight or obese [body mass index >25]) including 209 WLWH and 98 WLWOH.
Compared with WLWOH at baseline, WLWH performed worse on learning (mean [SD] T-score 47.8 [11.3] vs 51.4 [10.5]), memory (mean [SD] T-score 48.3 [11.6] vs 52.4 [10.2]), verbal fluency (mean [SD] T-score 48.3 [9.8] vs 50.7 [8.5]), and global (mean [SD] T-score 49.2 [6.8] vs 51.1 [5.9]) NP assessments.
Lower learning, memory, and motor NP were associated with 1-year Aβ40 increase; lower learning and motor with Aβ42 increase; lower motor with p-tau231 increase; and lower processing speed, verbal fluency and motor with NFL increase in the entire sample.

Why it matters

Among 307 women with and without HIV, several plasma Alzheimer's biomarkers were associated with neuropsychological performance, and women living with HIV performed worse on several cognitive measures at baseline. This is about biomarkers and cognitive associations, not about treating or preventing Alzheimer's disease.

New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Blood tests & biomarkers →

Study details

Study designcohort study
Participants307
Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 60/100

Published in a leading specialty 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	9 / 10	Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (JAMA network open)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	JAMA Network Open: journal h-index 235 (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	3 / 5	2023 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	307 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 16 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	2 / 5	3.2 citations a year over 5 year(s) since 2023
Impact for its field and year	2 / 6	Cited 2.9× 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	2 / 4	Cited 16 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	3 / 4	Last-listed author Deborah Gustafson: h-index 59 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	3 / 3	OpenAlex lists 17 institution(s) in 3 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 38019518)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	60 / 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

Li, X., Yucel, R., Clervius, H., Kamalakar, K., Zetterberg, H., Blennow, K., et al. (2023). Plasma Biomarkers of Alzheimer Disease in Women With and Without HIV. JAMA network open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.44194

Vancouver

Li X, Yucel R, Clervius H, Kamalakar K, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, et al. Plasma Biomarkers of Alzheimer Disease in Women With and Without HIV. JAMA network open. 2023. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.44194. PMID: 38019518.

BibTeX

@article{li2023-38019518,
  author  = {Li, X. and Yucel, R. and Clervius, H. and Kamalakar, K. and Zetterberg, H. and Blennow, K. and Zhang, J. and Adimora, A. and others},
  title   = {{Plasma Biomarkers of Alzheimer Disease in Women With and Without HIV}},
  journal = {JAMA network open},
  year    = {2023},
  doi     = {10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.44194},
  pmid    = {38019518},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.44194}
}

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