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Prediction of longitudinal synaptic loss in Alzheimer's disease using tau PET and plasma biomarkers
Wang J, Huang Q, Chen X, You Z, He K, Mao X, Huang Y, Franzmeier N et al.. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2025-05-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Introduction We investigated the associations of longitudinal synaptic loss and cognitive decline with tau burden and plasma biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods Twenty cognitively impaired (CI) individuals and 16 healthy controls (HC) underwent cognitive and plasma biomarker assessments, amyloid positron emission tomography (PET), tau PET, and synaptic density PET; after 1 year, tau and synaptic density PET were repeated. The relationships among tau burden, plasma biomarkers, synaptic density, and cognition were investigated. Results The CI group had more longitudinal synapse loss and tau deposition than HCs. Longitudinal synaptic loss was positively associated with longitudinal cognitive decline, negatively with longitudinal tau deposition. Plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) mediates the relationship between longitudinal tau deposition and longitudinal synaptic loss. Tau burden, plasma phosphorylated tau181, and GFAP could predict longitudinal synaptic loss and cognitive decline. Conclusions The CI group had more longitudinal synapse loss and tau burden increases than HCs. Tau pathology and plasma GFAP could predict longitudinal synapse loss and cognitive decline. Highlights Cognitively impaired individuals had more longitudinal synapse loss in the medial temporal lobe, and increased tau burden in the widespread neocortex than healthy controls. The longitudinal change of synaptic density was negatively associated with the longitudinal change of tau burden, and positively associated with longitudinal cognitive decline. Plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) mediates the relationship between longitudinal tau deposition and longitudinal synaptic loss. Tau burden, plasma phosphorylated tau181, and GFAP could predict longitudinal synaptic loss and cognitive decline.
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APA 7th
Wang, J., Huang, Q., Chen, X., You, Z., He, K., Mao, X., et al. (2025). Prediction of longitudinal synaptic loss in Alzheimer's disease using tau PET and plasma biomarkers. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70333
Vancouver
Wang J, Huang Q, Chen X, You Z, He K, Mao X, et al. Prediction of longitudinal synaptic loss in Alzheimer's disease using tau PET and plasma biomarkers. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz.70333. PMID: 40432308.
BibTeX
@article{wang2025-40432308,
author = {Wang, J. and Huang, Q. and Chen, X. and You, Z. and He, K. and Mao, X. and Huang, Y. and Franzmeier, N. and others},
title = {{Prediction of longitudinal synaptic loss in Alzheimer's disease using tau PET and plasma biomarkers}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz.70333},
pmid = {40432308},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70333}
}
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Key findings
- Results The CI group had more longitudinal synapse loss and tau deposition than HCs.
- Longitudinal synaptic loss was positively associated with longitudinal cognitive decline, negatively with longitudinal tau deposition.
- The longitudinal change of synaptic density was negatively associated with the longitudinal change of tau burden, and positively associated with longitudinal cognitive decline.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 64/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, 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 and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 37 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 64 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same 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 | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| 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 40432308) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 37 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 37 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 64 out of 100. |
| Total | 64 / 100 | — |
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