Biomarkers, Cognitive Function, and Mortality in Centenarians
A simple blood protein predicts cognitive decline and mortality in the oldest-old better than expensive brain amyloid tests, suggesting simpler aging biomarkers.
This JAMA Network Open population cohort of 495 centenarians (17-year follow-up) demonstrates that plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL), not amyloid β or p-tau, is the key neural biomarker associated with both cognitive impairment and all-cause mortality in extreme aging. The findings reframe the biomarker landscape for the oldest-old and may inform aging research paradigms.
What the study was
- Study design
- Population-based cohort study with 17-year follow-up
- Population
- Japanese centenarians aged ≥100 years (n=495; 80.4% women; mean age 104.1 years)
- Sample size
- 495
- Category
- Diagnostics
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- JAMA Network Open
Why it surfaced
JAMA Network Open cohort of centenarians (n=495, 17yr follow-up) — unique extreme aging dataset; NfL as the dominant mortality/cognition biomarker in centenarians challenges amyloid-centric paradigm; directly on aging/longevity watchlist.
A plain-language summary of published research — not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own care.