Alz Res Therapy: p-tau 181 can predict cortical atrophy

Advances in the quantification of biological fluids have made it possible to detect the pathophysiological process of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in peripheral plasma

Recent studies on plasma pTau181 have successfully distinguished AD from other neurodegenerative diseases, and showed a strong correlation with the concentration of pTau181 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Although the relationship between CSF and biomarkers of neurodegeneration has been widely described, little is known about plasma pTau181 and its cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship with white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) neurodegeneration

However, it has been observed that plasma pTau181 levels are associated with lower precuneus and temporal gray matter volumes in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD participants

In this way, Cécile Tissot and others of McGill University in Canada investigated whether plasma pTau181 is related to neurodegeneration assessed by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) cross-sectional assessment, and longitudinal assessment over a period of up to 4 years.

In the cognitively impaired, they observed a negative correlation between plasma pTau181 and gray matter and white matter volume

In the longitudinal analysis of the cognitive impairment group, plasma pTau181 was negatively correlated with gray matter volume, starting 36 months after the baseline assessment

The important significance of this study lies in the discovery that higher plasma pTau181 levels are associated with neurodegeneration and predict aging and further brain atrophy in Alzheimer's disease

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