{
  "abstract": "INTRODUCTION: Plasma β‐synuclein is a promising blood‐based synaptic biomarker, but relationships with synaptic density as indicated by [11C]UCB‐J positron emission tomography (PET), and blood biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, neurodegeneration, and astrocyte activation need further characterization.\n\nMETHODS: Middle‐aged and older adults with and without cognitive impairment (N = 83 total, 68.7% cognitively unimpaired) underwent blood draw, PET imaging, and neuropsychological testing. Primary analyses focused on relationships between plasma β‐synuclein and synaptic density, and associations with related plasma biomarkers (tau phosphorylated at threonine 217 [p‐tau217], brain‐derived tau [BD‐tau], glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP], and neurofilament light chain [NfL]).\n\nRESULTS: Plasma β‐synuclein levels were higher in cognitively unimpaired and impaired participants with positive amyloid PET. Synaptic density was lower in cognitively impaired participants only. In the full sample, higher plasma β‐synuclein levels associated with lower synaptic density in the hippocampus, higher concentrations of plasma tau markers, and higher plasma GFAP.\n\nDISCUSSION: This work further supports utilization of plasma β‐synuclein to track synaptic degeneration in AD.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Medicine and Public Health University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin USA",
    "Waisman Center University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin USA",
    "Department of Neurology Martin‐Luther‐University Halle‐Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany",
    "Department of Neurology Ulm University Hospital Ulm Germany",
    "German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Ulm Ulm Germany"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 14,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Darby C Peter"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Max McLachlan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Alexandra H DiFilippo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kao Lee Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mary‐Elizabeth Pasquesi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Todd E Barnhart"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jonathan W Engle"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tobey J Betthauser"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sanjay Asthana"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sterling C Johnson"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Bradley T Christian"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Barbara B Bendlin"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Markus Otto"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Patrick Oeckl"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/29aab4njx2b0t.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1002/alz.71900",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13714094/",
  "id": "29aab4njx2b0t",
  "issns": [
    "1552-5260",
    "1552-5279"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71900",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Research Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2738|Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7224131107",
  "pdf_url": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/alz.71900",
  "pmcid": "PMC13714094",
  "pmid": "42947251",
  "published": "2026-10-27",
  "publisher": "Wiley",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/29aab4njx2b0t.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:21:39Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13714094",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71900"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2738|Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Plasma β‐synuclein associates with hippocampal synaptic density measured with [11C]UCB‐J PET and plasma tau markers in Alzheimer's disease",
  "title_text": "Plasma β‐synuclein associates with hippocampal synaptic density measured with [11C]UCB‐J PET and plasma tau markers in Alzheimer's disease",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:21:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/29aab4njx2b0t",
  "venue": "Alzheimer's & Dementia",
  "versions": []
}