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Plasma p-Tau217 improves diagnostic accuracy and clinician confidence in cognitive disorder classification
Yu-Yuan Huang, Ling-Ling Li, Rui-Xin Yao, Jay Zengjun Dong, Yi-Han Gan, Yi-Lin Chen, Ke-Liang Chen, Shu-Fen Chen et al.. Innovation (Cambridge (Mass.)), 2026-01-20
Topic: Plasma and spinal-fluid biomarkers
The clinical utility of plasma phosphorylated tau at threonine 217 (p-tau217) levels as a diagnostic tool for cognitive disorders in real-world settings remains uncertain. In this cross-sectional retrospective study, 738 consecutive subjects presenting with cognitive complaints at a memory clinic underwent diagnostic evaluation incorporating plasma p-tau217 alongside standard clinical assessments ("tier 2": routine neuroimaging and cognitive testing) and advanced biomarker testing ("tier 1": amyloid positron emission tomography [PET] imaging or cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] analysis). Diagnostic impact and confidence were assessed using clinician surveys. Incorporating plasma p-tau217 into the routine tier 2 diagnostic workup significantly influenced clinical decision-making, leading to diagnostic revisions in 30.2% of cases and improving overall diagnostic confidence from 65.1% to 79.4%. Plasma p-tau217 demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for Alzheimer's disease (AD), with a sensitivity of 0.88 and a specificity of 0.84. Notably, its specificity was superior to tier 2 diagnoses, whereas its sensitivity did not differ significantly. Plasma p-tau217 also exhibited non-inferior performance to tier 1 approaches in the diagnostic distribution of AD, though with marginally lower diagnostic confidence. For non-AD diagnoses, plasma p-tau217 significantly impacted the classification of synucleinopathies and performed comparably to tier 1 methods. In conclusion, plasma p-tau217 meaningfully impacted diagnostic precision and confidence in subjects presenting to a real-world memory clinic, offering a minimally invasive, cost-effective, and accessible alternative to state-of-the-art examinations. As the global population ages and cognitive disorders become more prevalent, the integration of plasma p-tau217 into routine practice has the potential to streamline diagnostic workflows and enhance the efficient utilization of medical resources.
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APA 7th
Huang, Y.-Y., Li, L.-L., Yao, R.-X., Dong, J. Z., Gan, Y.-H., Chen, Y.-L., et al. (2026). Plasma p-Tau217 improves diagnostic accuracy and clinician confidence in cognitive disorder classification. Innovation (Cambridge (Mass.)). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2026.101272
Vancouver
Huang Y.-Y, Li L.-L, Yao R.-X, Dong JZ, Gan Y.-H, Chen Y.-L, et al. Plasma p-Tau217 improves diagnostic accuracy and clinician confidence in cognitive disorder classification. Innovation (Cambridge (Mass.)). 2026. doi:10.1016/j.xinn.2026.101272. PMID: 42254957.
BibTeX
@article{huang2026-42254957,
author = {Huang, Yu-Yuan and Li, Ling-Ling and Yao, Rui-Xin and Dong, Jay Zengjun and Gan, Yi-Han and Chen, Yi-Lin and Chen, Ke-Liang and Chen, Shu-Fen and others},
title = {{Plasma p-Tau217 improves diagnostic accuracy and clinician confidence in cognitive disorder classification}},
journal = {Innovation (Cambridge (Mass.))},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1016/j.xinn.2026.101272},
pmid = {42254957},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2026.101272}
}
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Key findings
- Incorporating plasma p-tau217 into the routine tier 2 diagnostic workup significantly influenced clinical decision-making, leading to diagnostic revisions in 30.2% of cases and improving overall diagnostic confidence from 65.1% to 79.4%.
- Plasma p-tau217 demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for Alzheimer's disease (AD), with a sensitivity of 0.88 and a specificity of 0.84.
- Notably, its specificity was superior to tier 2 diagnoses, whereas its sensitivity did not differ significantly.
- For non-AD diagnoses, plasma p-tau217 significantly impacted the classification of synucleinopathies and performed comparably to tier 1 methods.
- In conclusion, plasma p-tau217 meaningfully impacted diagnostic precision and confidence in subjects presenting to a real-world memory clinic, offering a minimally invasive, cost-effective, and accessible alternative to state-of-the-art examinations.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Effect size30.2%; 65.1% to 79.4%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 55/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 31 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 55 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Innovation (Cambridge (Mass.))) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| 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 | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 42254957) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 31 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 31 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 55 out of 100. |
| Total | 55 / 100 | — |
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