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# Plasma p-tau217 tracked Alzheimer's-type atrophy but not general brain ageing
- URL: https://www.coios.me/plasma-p-tau217-tracked-alzheimer-s-type-atrophy-but-not/
- Published: 2026-09-20T00:08:46.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-20T00:42:38.000Z
- Description: In 818 cognitively unimpaired participants of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, plasma p-tau217 measured before symptoms was associated with later mild cognitive impairment or dementia due to Alzheimer's disease and was the only marker associated with medial temporal lobe atrophy.
- Author: Daniel Ryan
- Tags: Healthcare today, Dementia, United States, #preprint, #refines, #item, #source-2026-09

Single plasma measurements of Ab42/Ab40, GFAP, NfL, p-tau181 and p-tau217, taken while participants were cognitively unimpaired, were linked to 2,293 subsequent MRI scans and to later diagnosis in 818 members of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, of whom 104 converted, 74 of them to Alzheimer's disease. The markers p-tau181, Ab42/Ab40 and p-tau217 were associated with incident mild cognitive impairment or dementia due to Alzheimer's disease but not other causes, while GFAP was associated with both. No biomarker was associated with change in the brain-age atrophy score or with subcortical, diffuse cortical or perisylvian atrophy patterns, in a preprint not yet peer reviewed.

*Why it is interesting: Separates what the blood markers detect, atrophy specific to Alzheimer's disease, from general brain ageing, in people tested while still cognitively unimpaired.*

Source

[medRxiv, 17 September 2026](https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.11.26362869?ref=coios.me)

DOI

10.64898/2026.09.11.26362869

Type

Preprint

Design

Prospective cohort, Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging: 818 cognitively unimpaired adults, 2,293 serial MRIs, 104 conversions to MCI/dementia

Verdict

Refines prior evidence

Driver

[Dementia](https://www.coios.me/d-dementia/)