MONDAY, June 1, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Alzheimer disease neuropathology is associated with worse cognitive performance, according to a study published in the May 30 issue of The Lancet.
Xiaqing Jiang, Ph.D., from the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues examined participants who were retained in the U.S. Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study with available plasma biomarkers at year 35 (2020 to 2022) to address knowledge gaps regarding plasma biomarkers and their associations with cognitive outcomes. Of the 2,248 CARDIA participants who completed the year 35 visit, 1,500 were randomly selected for plasma biomarker measurement; the final cohort included 1,350 participants (mean age, 61 years).
The researchers found that Alzheimer disease neuropathology positivity was seen in 6, 15, and 4 percent of participants based on p-tau217/Aβ42, Aβ42/40, and p-tau217, respectively, and was associated with worse performance on processing speed (standardized cognitive difference comparing Alzheimer disease neuropathology positive to negative for Aβ42/40, p-tau217, and p-tau217/Aβ42, −0.54 to −0.25) and executive function (−0.42 to −0.19). Compared with Alzheimer disease neuropathology negativity, Alzheimer disease neuropathology positivity was associated with increased odds of accelerated decline on verbal memory (odds ratios, 4.31 and 2.44 for Aβ42/40 and p-tau217/Aβ42, respectively) and processing speed (odds ratios, 3.98 and 3.35 for p-tau217 and p-tau217/Aβ42, respectively). No association was seen for global cognition or fluency.
"These blood tests should be used with caution," senior author Kristine Yaffe, M.D., also from the University of California San Francisco, said in a statement. "But for some people who discover they have the biomarkers, testing could open a window to embark on interventions that may postpone Alzheimer's onset."
