Home › Research › Biomarkers
Plasma Phosphorylated Tau 217 and Amyloid Burden in Older Adults Without Cognitive Impairment: A Meta-Analysis
Malek-Ahmadi M, Sharma S, Stipho F, Denkinger M, Singh A, Brum WS, Ashton NJ.. JAMA neurology, 2026-01-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Results Data for 7834 participants (2533 amyloid positive, 5301 amyloid negative) from 18 publications were analyzed. Values for p-tau217 also demonstrated high accuracy for identifying amyloid-positive individuals without cognitive impairment (AUC = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.85-0.90). Conclusion and relevance These findings demonstrate that plasma p-tau217 can reliably detect AD pathology in the preclinical stage. These findings support the clinical utility of plasma p-tau217 as a scalable, minimally invasive tool for early identification of AD, particularly in settings where timely intervention with disease-modifying therapies may offer the greatest benefit in slowing or preventing disease progression.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Malek-Ahmadi, M., Sharma, S., Stipho, F., Denkinger, M., Singh, A., Brum, W. S., et al. (2026). Plasma Phosphorylated Tau 217 and Amyloid Burden in Older Adults Without Cognitive Impairment: A Meta-Analysis. JAMA neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.4721
Vancouver
Malek-Ahmadi M, Sharma S, Stipho F, Denkinger M, Singh A, Brum WS, et al. Plasma Phosphorylated Tau 217 and Amyloid Burden in Older Adults Without Cognitive Impairment: A Meta-Analysis. JAMA neurology. 2026. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.4721. PMID: 41324928.
BibTeX
@article{malekahmadi2026-41324928,
author = {Malek-Ahmadi, M. and Sharma, S. and Stipho, F. and Denkinger, M. and Singh, A. and Brum, W. S. and Ashton, N. J.},
title = {{Plasma Phosphorylated Tau 217 and Amyloid Burden in Older Adults Without Cognitive Impairment: A Meta-Analysis}},
journal = {JAMA neurology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.4721},
pmid = {41324928},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.4721}
}
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 names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Results Data for 7834 participants (2533 amyloid positive, 5301 amyloid negative) from 18 publications were analyzed.
- Values for p-tau217 also demonstrated high accuracy for identifying amyloid-positive individuals without cognitive impairment (AUC = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.85-0.90).
- Conclusion and relevance These findings demonstrate that plasma p-tau217 can reliably detect AD pathology in the preclinical stage.
- These findings support the clinical utility of plasma p-tau217 as a scalable, minimally invasive tool for early identification of AD, particularly in settings where timely intervention with disease-modifying therapies may offer the greatest benefit in slowing or preventing disease progression.
Why it matters
This meta-analysis of 7834 participants found plasma p-tau217 identified amyloid-positive people without cognitive impairment with an AUC of 0.87. It supports early detection but does not itself treat, cure, or prevent Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Blood tests & biomarkers →
Study details
- Study designsystematic review
- Participants7,834
- Effect sizeAUC = 0.87
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 72/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a systematic review of all the studies on the question.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (JAMA neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | JAMA Neurology: journal h-index 235 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 12 / 12 | A systematic review of all the studies on the question |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” 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 | 3 / 4 | 7,834 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 | A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 19 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 9.5 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 12.1× 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 19 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Nicholas James Ashton: h-index 91 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Arizona: institution h-index 1,336 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41324928) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 72 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.4721
- PubMed: 41324928
- Original source →
- Free full text: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov →
Full text: free to read — Unpaywall lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
In the news
1 news article on alzhub's news page cites this paper.
Related studies in Biomarkers
Also tagged “phosphorylated”
733 studies in the library carry the topic tag “phosphorylated”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 733 tagged studies.