Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38129590›Full record

ReviewNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2024

Is blood pTau a reliable indicator of the CSF status? A narrative review.

Annibale Antonioni, Emanuela Maria Raho, Francesco Di Lorenzo

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.2field-weighted citation impact, top 7% 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

14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Effects of accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation combined with cognitive training on brain function in amnestic mild cognitive impairment patients.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
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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

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Annibale Antonioni *Unit of Clinical Neurology, Neurosciences and Rehabilitation Department, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.
Emanuela Maria Raho *Unit of Clinical Neurology, Neurosciences and Rehabilitation Department, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.
Francesco Di LorenzoNon Invasive Brain Stimulation Unit, Istituto Di Ricovero E Cura a Carattere Scientifico Santa Lucia, 00179, Rome, Italy. f.dilorenzo@hsantalucia.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9871-229X
University of Ferrara · ITFondazione Santa Lucia · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe identification of biomarkers for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a crucial goal of the current research. Blood biomarkers are less invasive, easier to obtain and achievable by a cheaper means than those on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and significantly more economic than functional neuroimaging investigations; thus, a great interest is focused on blood isoforms of the phosphorylated Tau protein (pTau), indicators of ongoing tau pathology (i.e. neurofibrillary tangles, NFTs, an AD neuropathological hallmark) in the central nervous system (CNS). However, current data often highlight discordant results about the ability of blood pTau to predict CSF status.

objectiveWe aim to synthesise the studies that compared pTau levels on CSF and blood to assess their correlation in AD continuum.

methodsWe performed a narrative literature review using, first, MEDLINE (via PubMed) by means of MeSH terms, and then, we expanded the reults by means of Scopus and Web of Sciences to be as inclusive as possible. Finally, we added work following an expert opinion. Only papers presenting original data on pTau values on both blood and CSF were included.

resultsThe 33 included studies show an extreme heterogeneity in terms of pTau isoform (pTau181, 217 and 231), laboratory methods, diagnostic criteria and choice of comparison groups. Most studies evaluated plasma pTau181, while data on other isoforms and serum are scarcer. DISCUSSION: Most papers identify a correlation between CSF and blood measurements. Furthermore, even when not specified, it is often possible to show an increase in blood pTau values as AD-related damage progresses in the AD continuum and higher values in AD than in other neurodegenerative diseases. Notably, plasma pTau231 seems the first biomarker to look for in the earliest and pre-clinical stages, quickly followed by pTau217 and, finally, by pTau181.

conclusionsOur results encourage the use of blood pTau for the early identification of patients with AD continuum.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseBiomarkerstau ProteinsHumansPhosphorylationBiomarkerstau ProteinsAlzheimer’s diseaseBiomarkersBloodCSFPlasmapTau

Identifiers

PMID38129590
OpenAlexW4390083086

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.