Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42029407›Full record

ArticleAlzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association2026

Locus coeruleus degeneration is associated with cortical tau deposition and cognitive decline in older adults at familial risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Alfie Wearn, Kate M Onuska, Hayley R C Shanks, Rahul Gaurav, Stéphane Lehéricy, Giulia Baracchini, Colleen Hughes, Jennifer Tremblay-Mercier, Sridar Narayanan, John Breitner and 5 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Alfie WearnMontreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Kate M OnuskaSchulich Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Hayley R C ShanksSchulich Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Rahul GauravParis Brain Institute-ICM, Center for NeuroImaging Research-CENIR, Sorbonne Universite, CNRS, Inserm, Paris, France.
Stéphane LehéricyParis Brain Institute-ICM, Center for NeuroImaging Research-CENIR, Sorbonne Universite, CNRS, Inserm, Paris, France.
Giulia BaracchiniMontreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Colleen HughesMontreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Jennifer Tremblay-MercierDouglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC, Canada.
Sridar NarayananMontreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
John BreitnerDouglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC, Canada.
Judes PoirierDepartment of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Taylor W SchmitzSchulich Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Gary R TurnerDepartment of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
R Nathan SprengMontreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
PREVENT‐AD Research Group

Funding

Investigating the impact of loneliness on brain aging and pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's disease progressionR01AG068563 · NIA · MCGILL UNIVERSITY · PI BZDOK, DANILO, SPRENG, ROBERT NATHAN · 2020 to 2024
$2.3M
Alzheimer's Association RNS: AARG-22-927100CIHR CSH: #181831Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Santé AW #317644 CSH: #320680 RNSMcGill University: JeanneTimminsCostelloPostdoctoralFellowship(AW)NIA NIH HHS R01 AG068563NIA NIH HHS R01(RNS: AG068563)
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe locus coeruleus (LC) is among the first sites of tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may seed neocortical tau.

methodsWe used longitudinal neuromelanin-sensitive MRI to assess LC integrity in vivo in a cohort of cognitively unimpaired older adults with familial risk of AD in relation to tau and amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) and long-term cognitive trajectories.

resultsWe showed that both LC integrity at baseline and its rate of degeneration over time independently predicted a neocortical pattern of tau deposition. In keeping with the known function of the LC, neuropsychological tests showed that LC integrity at baseline predicted changes in attention. Finally, we found that longitudinal LC degeneration correlated with memory decline in people with elevated neocortical amyloid burden. DISCUSSION: Our findings underscore the importance of LC in AD pathogenesis. Longitudinal measurement of LC degeneration may help distinguish trajectories of age-related cognitive decline and early AD.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCognition DisordersLocus Coeruleustau ProteinsAgedFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMelaninsMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsPositron-Emission TomographyMelaninsneuromelanintau ProteinsAlzheimer's diseaseamyloidcognitive declinehealthy aginglocus coeruleuslongitudinalMRIneurodegenerationneuromelaninnoradrenergic systempathogenesisPETtau

Identifiers

PMID42029407
PMCPMC13108248

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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.