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Updated: Sep 12, 2025
In Vitro Aggregation Assays Using Hyperphosphorylated Tau Protein
Published on: January 2, 2015
Cognitive impairment and p-tau217 are high in a vascular patient cohort
Scott R French1, Juan C Arias1, Summan Zahra1
1The Division of Vascular Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Insights
Many adults with cardiovascular disease have undiagnosed cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease pathology. Screening is recommended, as elevated phosphorylated tau217 blood biomarker accurately identified cognitive decline.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Vascular comorbidities are significant risk factors for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- Brain health is infrequently assessed in patients with cardiovascular disease.
- This study addresses the gap in evaluating cognitive function in individuals with asymptomatic cardiovascular disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively evaluate cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in adults with asymptomatic cardiovascular disease.
- To determine the prevalence of undiagnosed cognitive impairment and AD pathology in this population.
- To assess the utility of the phosphorylated tau217 (p-tau217) blood biomarker in identifying cognitive impairment.
Main Methods:
- 162 community-dwelling adults with asymptomatic cardiovascular disease and no dementia diagnosis were enrolled.
- Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) blood biomarker phosphorylated tau217 (p-tau217) was measured.
Main Results:
- 29% of participants exhibited MoCA scores indicating cognitive impairment or dementia.
- 55% had elevated p-tau217 levels, which significantly correlated with lower MoCA scores (p < 0.01).
- p-tau217 demonstrated high accuracy (AUC 0.94) in differentiating cognitive impairment.
Conclusions:
- Undiagnosed cognitive impairment and AD pathology are highly prevalent in individuals with cardiovascular disease.
- The findings suggest a need for systematic screening of brain health in this population.
- Phosphorylated tau217 (p-tau217) shows promise as a biomarker for detecting cognitive impairment in cardiovascular patients.
Introduction:
Vascular comorbidities are modifiable contributors to cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet brain health outcomes are rarely evaluated in cardiovascular patients.
Methods:
This study prospectively evaluated cognition and AD pathology in 162 community-dwelling adults with asymptomatic cardiovascular disease who did not have a clinical diagnosis of dementia or cognitive impairment.
Results:
Twenty-nine percent of the cohort had Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores indicative of cognitive impairment or dementia after adjusting for age, sex, and education based on National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center normative data. AD blood biomarker phosphorylated tau217 was elevated in 55% of the cohort, significantly associated with decreased MoCA scores (β = -1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.53 to -0.39, p < 0.01), and accurately differentiated cognitive impairment (area under the curve 0.94, 95% CI 0.88-0.99).
Discussion:
This level of undiagnosed cognitive impairment and AD pathology exceeds what would be expected in the general population and highlights a potential need for screening and future work to better identify treatment options.
Highlights:
Brain health outcomes are rarely evaluated in vascular patients. One hundred sixty-two adults with asymptomatic cardiovascular disease but without diagnoses of cognitive impairment or dementia were evaluated. Phosphorylated tau217 accurately differentiated cognitive impairment in patients with cardiovascular disease. High levels of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease pathology are greatly underdiagnosed in the cardiovascular population.
