Circulating Sphingomyelins Correlate With Plasma T-Tau in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults at Risk of Developing Alzheimer's Disease
Blood fats called sphingomyelins may help identify older adults developing early Alzheimer's changes, improving predictions from current blood tests.
In cognitively unimpaired older adults stratified by amyloid PET status, sphingomyelins correlated with plasma T-tau only in Aβ-positive individuals, potentially reflecting SM-mediated neuroprotective responses against early AD pathogenesis. An SM panel significantly enhanced the predictive performance of plasma T-tau for distinguishing cortical amyloid PET status, suggesting utility as accessible blood-based early biomarkers.
What the study was
- Study design
- Cross-sectional biomarker study (KARVIAH cohort)
- Population
- Cognitively unimpaired older adults with PET-confirmed cortical amyloid-β status (KARVIAH cohort, Australia)
- Category
- Early Detection
- Maturity
- Exploratory
- Journal
- Journal of Neurochemistry
Why it surfaced
Novel blood-based biomarker panel (sphingomyelins + T-tau) for detecting preclinical AD in asymptomatic older adults. Cross-sectional design limits causal inference; sample size not reported in abstract. Promising but needs prospective replication.
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