Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42243971›Full record

ArticleMolecular neurodegeneration2026

Tau extent outperforms tau load as a predictor of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease.

Arthur C Macedo, Lydia Trudel, Seyyed Ali Hosseini, Joseph Therriault, Étienne Aumont, Gleb Bezgin, Nesrine Rahmouni, Jenna Stevenson, Cécile Tissot, Marcel S Woo and 22 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular neurodegeneration, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

32 authors.

Arthur C MacedoTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Lydia TrudelTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Seyyed Ali HosseiniTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Joseph TherriaultTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Étienne AumontTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Gleb BezginTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Nesrine RahmouniTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Jenna StevensonTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Cécile TissotTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Marcel S WooTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Stijn ServaesTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Stuart MitchellTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Jaime Fernandez-AriasTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Brandon HallTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Tevy ChanTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Marina Pereira GonçalvesTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Pamela C L FerreiraDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
João Pedro Ferrari-SouzaGraduate Program in Biological Sciences: Pharmacology and Therapeutics; and Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Bruna BellaverDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Firoza Z LussierDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Andréa L BenedetDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.
Nicholas J AshtonDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.
Henrik ZetterbergDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.
Kaj BlennowDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.
Dana L TudorascuDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Eduardo R ZimmerTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Maxime MontembeaultTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Jean-Paul SoucyMontreal Neurological Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Jesse KlostranecMontreal Neurological Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Tharick A PascoalDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Paolo VitaliTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Pedro Rosa-NetoTranslational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Montréal, QC, Canada. pedro.rosa@mcgill.ca.

Funding

Longitudinal multicenter head-to-head harmonization of tau PET tracersR01AG073267 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI BAKER, SUZANNE L, PASCOAL, THARICK · 2021 to 2025
$41.1M
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG073267
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn Alzheimer's disease (AD), tau pathology is more strongly linked to neurodegeneration than amyloid-β and better predicts brain atrophy. The spatial extent of tauopathy (SEOT) has shown promise as an earlier and more sensitive marker of AD severity than tau load, but how these complementary dimensions relate to neurodegeneration remains unclear. Here, we compared the in vivo associations of tau-PET extent versus load with cross-sectional and longitudinal neurodegeneration.

methodsWe studied 367 participants across the healthy-aging to AD continuum (mean age 69.3 years; 61% female) from the TRIAD cohort who underwent [

resultsCross-sectionally, all tau-PET metrics were significantly associated with neurodegeneration across imaging and fluid biomarkers. Full-cortex SEOT provided the best model fit for cortical thinning. SEOT outperformed tau load for associations with HCV and for predicting MTA, whereas SEOT and SUVR showed comparable associations with plasma NfL and CSF t-tau. Tau extent was equal or superior to tau load in its correlation with local cortical thickness across all cortical regions. Longitudinally, baseline full-cortex SEOT best predicted future cortical thinning, while temporal SEOT best predicted future hippocampal atrophy.

conclusionsAcross cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, tau extent provided superior predictive value for imaging-based neurodegeneration compared with tau load. By enabling a spatially unbiased, whole-brain assessment of tau burden that accommodates heterogeneous topographies, SEOT represents a promising complementary tau-PET metric for staging and tracking disease progression in AD.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseTauopathiestau ProteinsAgedAtrophyBiomarkersBrainCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedPositron-Emission TomographyBiomarkerstau ProteinsAlzheimer’s diseaseNeurodegenerationNeurofibrillary tanglesPositron emission tomography

Identifiers

PMID42243971
PMCPMC13463738

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.