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The accumulation rate of tau aggregates is higher in females and younger amyloid-positive subjects
Smith R, Strandberg O, Mattsson-Carlgren N, Leuzy A, Palmqvist S, Pontecorvo MJ, Devous MD, Ossenkoppele R et al.. Brain : a journal of neurology, 2020-12-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
We found that accelerated increase in tau-PET signal was observed in amyloid-β-positive mild cognitive impairment (3.0 ± 5.3%) and Alzheimer's disease dementia (2.9 ± 5.7%), respectively, when compared to either amyloid-β-negative cognitively unimpaired (0.4 ± 2.7%), amyloid-β-negative mild cognitive impairment (-0.4 ± 2.3%) or amyloid-β-positive cognitively unimpaired (1.2 ± 2.8%). In a similar analysis on longitudinal amyloid-β-PET (in ADNI subjects only, n = 639), we found significant associations between the rate of amyloid-β accumulation and APOE ε4 positivity, older age and baseline amyloid-β positivity, but no effect of sex. In conclusion, in this longitudinal PET study comprising four cohorts, we found that the tau accumulation rate is greater in females and younger amyloid-β-positive individuals, while amyloid-β accumulation is greater in APOE ε4 carriers and older individuals. These findings are important considerations for the design of clinical trials, and might improve our understanding of factors associated with faster tau aggregation and spread.
Key findings
- We found that accelerated increase in tau-PET signal was observed in amyloid-β-positive mild cognitive impairment (3.0 ± 5.3%) and Alzheimer's disease dementia (2.9 ± 5.7%), respectively, when compared to either amyloid-β-negative cognitively unimpaired (0.4 ± 2.7%), amyloid-β-negative mild cognitive impairment (-0.4 ± 2.3%) or amyloid-β-positive cognitively unimpaired (1.2 ± 2.8%).
- In a similar analysis on longitudinal amyloid-β-PET (in ADNI subjects only, n = 639), we found significant associations between the rate of amyloid-β accumulation and APOE ε4 positivity, older age and baseline amyloid-β positivity, but no effect of sex.
- In conclusion, in this longitudinal PET study comprising four cohorts, we found that the tau accumulation rate is greater in females and younger amyloid-β-positive individuals, while amyloid-β accumulation is greater in APOE ε4 carriers and older individuals.
- These findings are important considerations for the design of clinical trials, and might improve our understanding of factors associated with faster tau aggregation and spread.
Why it matters
This longitudinal PET study found that the rate of tau accumulation was greater in females and younger amyloid-positive individuals, while amyloid accumulation was greater in APOE ε4 carriers and older individuals. The authors say these findings are important for designing clinical trials and understanding factors linked to faster tau aggregation.
Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants157
- Effect size5.3%; 5.7%; 2.7%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 71/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Brain : a journal of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Brain: journal h-index 503 (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 | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 157 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 135 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 16.9 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 18 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 73 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Oskar Hansson: h-index 148 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Lund University: institution h-index 1,119 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 33439987) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 71 / 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
Smith, R., Strandberg, O., Mattsson-Carlgren, N., Leuzy, A., Palmqvist, S., Pontecorvo, M. J., et al. (2020). The accumulation rate of tau aggregates is higher in females and younger amyloid-positive subjects. Brain : a journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaa327
Vancouver
Smith R, Strandberg O, Mattsson-Carlgren N, Leuzy A, Palmqvist S, Pontecorvo MJ, et al. The accumulation rate of tau aggregates is higher in females and younger amyloid-positive subjects. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2020. doi:10.1093/brain/awaa327. PMID: 33439987.
BibTeX
@article{smith2020-33439987,
author = {Smith, R. and Strandberg, O. and Mattsson-Carlgren, N. and Leuzy, A. and Palmqvist, S. and Pontecorvo, M. J. and Devous, M. D. and Ossenkoppele, R. and others},
title = {{The accumulation rate of tau aggregates is higher in females and younger amyloid-positive subjects}},
journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1093/brain/awaa327},
pmid = {33439987},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaa327}
}
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