{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nReliable blood biomarkers for longitudinal monitoring in adolescent and adult 5q spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are lacking. Phosphorylated tau (p-tau) species are elevated in serum in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), where they may reflect peripheral nerve and muscle pathology. We aimed to investigate serum p-tau181 and p-tau217 as longitudinal biomarkers in adolescent and adult SMA and assessed associations with clinical parameters.Methods\n\nIn this retrospective multi-centre study, we assessed serum p-tau181 and p-tau217 levels in adults with 5q SMA under treatment with nusinersen or risdiplam, comparing levels with Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and non-neurodegenerative disease controls. Associations with motor function, respiratory capacity, creatine kinase (CK), and neurofilament light chain (NfL) were assessed using linear mixed-effects models adjusted for age and sex.Results\n\nSerum p-tau181 was higher in SMA than in disease controls (β = -0.48, 95%-CI -0.81 to -0.15), but lower than in ALS (β = 0.99, 95%-CI 0.58 to 1.39) and AD (β = 0.56, 95%-CI 0.11 to 1.00). P-tau181 declined from baseline to FUP2 (Δ median -1.80 pg/mL, IQR -5.90 to 2.10); p-tau217 showed no longitudinal change. P-tau181 and p-tau217 were positively associated with motor function, functional status, respiratory capacity, and CK, with no association with NfL. In exploratory analyses, higher baseline p-tau181 was associated with greater HFMSE decline (β = 1.79, 95%-CI 0.59 to 2.99).Conclusions\n\nSerum p-tau181 and p-tau217 appear to reflect ongoing muscle turnover in adult SMA, declining as muscle mass decreases. Higher baseline p-tau181 was associated with subsequent functional deterioration, suggesting potential utility as a biomarker of active denervation and disease monitoring.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Neurology, University Medicine Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany.",
    "Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.",
    "Laboratory for Muscle Diseases and Neuropathies, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.",
    "Department of Neuropediatrics, Centre for Neuromuscular Disorders in Children, University Hospital Essen, Duisburg-Essen University, Essen, Germany.",
    "Heimer Institute for Muscle Research, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil Bochum, Bochum, Germany.",
    "Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.",
    "Department of Neurology, University Medicine Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany. markus.otto@uk-halle.de."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 16,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Caroline Deborah Stapf",
      "orcid": "0009-0007-0183-8357"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Zeljko Uzelac"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Louise Iterbeke"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Arthur Guthknecht"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lorenzo Barba"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "David Strube"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Anna Kölsch"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kathleen Kleeberg"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Thomas Kendzierski"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Andreas Roos"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Petra Steinacker"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Samir Abu-Rumeileh"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Kristl G Claeys"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jochen Weishaupt"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Alexander Mensch"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Markus Otto",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4273-4267"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1yjx0zfnn315b.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1007/s00415-026-14194-1",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13687299",
  "id": "1yjx0zfnn315b",
  "issns": [
    "0340-5354",
    "1432-1459"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42905162",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2716|Neurogenetic and Muscular Disorders Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223090703",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13687299?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13687299",
  "pmid": "42905162",
  "published": "2026-10-21",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1yjx0zfnn315b.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:53Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42905162",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42905162"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2716|Neurogenetic and Muscular Disorders Research",
      "subfield": "human-genetics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Serum p-tau181 and p-tau217 levels in adolescents and adults with 5q spinal muscular atrophy.",
  "title_text": "Serum p-tau181 and p-tau217 levels in adolescents and adults with 5q spinal muscular atrophy.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:53Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1yjx0zfnn315b",
  "venue": "Journal of neurology",
  "versions": []
}