Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27263933›Full record

ArticleAlzheimer's research & therapy2016

High tau levels in cerebrospinal fluid predict nursing home placement and rapid progression in Alzheimer's disease.

Malin Degerman Gunnarsson, Martin Ingelsson, Kaj Blennow, Hans Basun, Lars Lannfelt, Lena Kilander

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Alzheimer's research & therapy, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
4.2field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Cognitive Resilience in Brain Health and Dementia Research.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Malin Degerman GunnarssonDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences/Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 85, Uppsala, Sweden. malin.degerman.gunnarsson@pubcare.uu.se.
Martin IngelssonDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences/Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 85, Uppsala, Sweden.
Kaj BlennowClinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-43180, Mölndal, Sweden.
Hans BasunDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences/Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 85, Uppsala, Sweden.
Lars LannfeltDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences/Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 85, Uppsala, Sweden.
Lena KilanderDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences/Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 85, Uppsala, Sweden.
Uppsala University · SEUniversity of Gothenburg · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIncreased concentrations of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total tau (t-tau) and phosphorylated tau, as well as decreased amyloid-β 42 peptide, are biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, but few studies have shown an association with AD progression rate. We hypothesized that high CSF tau, as a marker of ongoing neurodegeneration, would predict a more aggressive course of AD, using time to nursing home placement (NHP) as the main outcome.

methodsOur sample inlcuded 234 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD (n = 134) or mild to moderate AD (n = 100) who underwent lumbar puncture at a memory clinic and were followed for 2-11 years (median 4.9 years).

resultsIndividuals with CSF t-tau in the highest quartile (≥900 ng/L) had a higher ratio of NHP, both in the total cohort and in patients with MCI only (adjusted HR 2.17 [95% CI 1.24-3.80]; HR 2.37 [95% CI 1.10-5.09], respectively), than the lowest quartile. The association between high t-tau levels and future steep deterioration was confirmed in analyses with conversion to moderate dementia (HR 1.66; 95% CI 1.08-2.56), rapid decline in Mini Mental State Examination score (≥4-point drop/12 months), and dying in severe dementia as outcomes.

conclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first study to show that high CSF t-tau levels predict early NHP and conversion to moderate dementia in an AD cohort. Selecting patients with high CSF t-tau, indicating more aggressive neurodegeneration and steeper decline, for AD immunotherapy trials might increase the possibility of showing contrast between active treatment and placebo.

Indexed as

Disease ProgressionAgedAged, 80 and overAlzheimer DiseaseAmyloid beta-PeptidesBiomarkersCognitive DysfunctionFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNursing HomesPhosphorylationtau ProteinsAmyloid beta-PeptidesBiomarkersMAPT protein, humantau ProteinsAlzheimer’s diseaseAmyloid-βCSFDeath in severe dementiaModerate dementiaNHPNursing home placementp-tauRapid declineTau

Identifiers

PMID27263933
PMCPMC4893835
OpenAlexW2398722408

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.