Circulating Tau Profiles in Pediatric and Adult Patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy

To determine alterations in circulating Tau and phosphorylated Tau (pTau) profiles in pediatric and adult patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

Circulating total Tau, pTau-181, pTau-217, pTau-262, and pTau-396 concentrations were measured across three cohorts: 1) adults including healthy controls, SMA patients, and ALS patients; 2) pediatric SMA patients and age-matched controls; and 3) pediatric SMA patients treated with onasemnogene abeparvovec.

Distinct alterations in circulating Tau species were detected in adult SMA and ALS. Among all measurements, pTau-262 emerged as the only species specifically elevated in adult SMA, while total Tau levels were comparable between adult SMA and controls but significantly increased in ALS. Tau alterations were not consistently observed in pediatric SMA, although a small subset showed elevated levels, underscoring the value of individualized biomarker monitoring upon diagnosis. In gene-therapy-treated infants, Tau levels increased transiently several weeks after onasemnogene abeparvovec injection, paralleling previously described neurofilament kinetics and suggesting acute, treatment-associated neuronal stress.

Circulating Tau, particularly pTau-262, may serve as a disease-relevant biomarker in adult SMA, while pediatric profiles appear more heterogeneous. Transient Tau elevations after gene therapy may reflect acute neuronal vulnerability and warrant further investigation.