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Salivary tau species are potential biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease
Shi M, Sui YT, Peskind ER, Li G, Hwang H, Devic I, Ginghina C, Edgar JS et al.. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 2011-01-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Phosphorylation of tau protein is a critical event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Increased phosphorylated tau and total tau levels, combined with reduced concentrations of amyloid-β 1-42 (Aβ42) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but not in plasma or serum, have been generally accepted as sensitive AD diagnostic markers. However, obtaining CSF is a relatively invasive procedure that requires participation of specially trained medical professionals, i.e., CSF is not an ideal sample source for screening or early diagnosis of AD, which is essential to current and future neuroprotective treatments for the disease.
Key findings
- Increased phosphorylated tau and total tau levels, combined with reduced concentrations of amyloid-β 1-42 (Aβ42) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but not in plasma or serum, have been generally accepted as sensitive AD diagnostic markers.
- However, obtaining CSF is a relatively invasive procedure that requires participation of specially trained medical professionals, i.e., CSF is not an ideal sample source for screening or early diagnosis of AD, which is essential to current and future neuroprotective treatments for the disease.
- Here, we identified tau, but not Aβ species, with mass spectrometry in human saliva, a body fluid that is much more accessible compared to CSF or even blood.
- Quantitative assessment of salivary levels of total tau, phosphorylated tau, and Aβ42 using highly sensitive Luminex assays revealed that, while Aβ42 was not detectable, the phosphorylated tau/tau ratio significantly increased in patients with AD compared to healthy controls.
Why it matters
This study examined whether phosphorylated and total tau species in saliva could serve as Alzheimer disease biomarkers, since obtaining cerebrospinal fluid is invasive. It is a biomarker study and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Alzheimer s Disease: journal h-index 218 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| 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 | 1 / 5 | 2011 — within 20 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 195 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 11.5 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 43 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jing Zhang: h-index 72 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | University of Washington: institution h-index 3,540 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21841250) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 45 / 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
Shi, M., Sui, Y. T., Peskind, E. R., Li, G., Hwang, H., Devic, I., et al. (2011). Salivary tau species are potential biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-2011-110731
Vancouver
Shi M, Sui YT, Peskind ER, Li G, Hwang H, Devic I, et al. Salivary tau species are potential biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. 2011. doi:10.3233/jad-2011-110731. PMID: 21841250.
BibTeX
@article{shi2011-21841250,
author = {Shi, M. and Sui, Y. T. and Peskind, E. R. and Li, G. and Hwang, H. and Devic, I. and Ginghina, C. and Edgar, J. S. and others},
title = {{Salivary tau species are potential biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.3233/jad-2011-110731},
pmid = {21841250},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-2011-110731}
}
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