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Dried Blood Spot Collection of Health Biomarkers to Maximize Participation in Population Studies
Published on: January 28, 2014
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Biomarkers
Darlene Antoine1,2, Saswat Sahoo3, Alexander Daskalopoulos4
1NIH(NIA), Baltimore, MD, USA.
Alzheimer'S & Dementia : the Journal of the Alzheimer'S Association
|December 26, 2025
Summary
Phosphorylated tau (pTau) species in extracellular vesicles show distinct associations with cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD). P231-tau, an early marker, may be particularly useful for tracking disease progression and treatment response in AD patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
- Gerontology
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology involves amyloid beta and tau proteins.
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) facilitate the spread of AD-related pathological proteins.
- Biomarkers in biofluids are crucial for diagnosing and monitoring AD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association of distinct neuronal extracellular vesicle (NEV) biomarkers with cognitive function in AD.
- To examine the relationships between different phosphorylated tau (pTau) species, cognition, age, and sex.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 30 AD participants evaluated with RBANS cognitive tests.
- Plasma samples analyzed for Ab40, Ab42, and various pTau species (p181, p217, p231) within L1CAM-targeted EVs.
- Linear mixed models used to assess biomarker associations with cognitive scores, controlling for age and sex.
Main Results:
- P231-tau showed a unique positive association with RBANS scores.
- Total tau also associated positively with cognition when age was included as a covariate.
- All pTau species were positively correlated, except for a negative association between Total Tau and p231-tau.
Conclusions:
- Distinct pTau species exhibit unique associations with cognitive function in AD.
- P231-tau may serve as an early indicator for monitoring AD disease activity and treatment efficacy.
- Further research is needed to validate p231-tau's utility in large cohorts.
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