Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
197,768 studies31 sourcesUpdated 29 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Alzheimer's & Dementia

Plasma β‐synuclein associates with hippocampal synaptic density measured with [11C]UCB‐J PET and plasma tau markers in Alzheimer's disease

  • Darby C Peter1
  • Max McLachlan2
  • Alexandra H DiFilippo2
  • Kao Lee Yang1
  • Mary‐Elizabeth Pasquesi1
  • Todd E Barnhart1
  • Jonathan W Engle1
  • Tobey J Betthauser1
  • Sanjay Asthana1
  • Sterling C Johnson1
  • Bradley T Christian1,2
  • Barbara B Bendlin1
2 more authors
  • Markus Otto3
  • Patrick Oeckl4,5
5 affiliations
  1. 1School of Medicine and Public Health University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin USA
  2. 2Waisman Center University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin USA
  3. 3Department of Neurology Martin‐Luther‐University Halle‐Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany
  4. 4Department of Neurology Ulm University Hospital Ulm Germany
  5. 5German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Ulm Ulm Germany
Read full textPDFDOICite

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.

METHODS: 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]).

RESULTS: 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.

DISCUSSION: This work further supports utilization of plasma β‐synuclein to track synaptic degeneration in AD.

Related

  1. Serine-65 phosphorylated ubiquitin associates with soluble tau and seeding activity in Alzheimer’s disease
    Tingxiang Yan, Xu Hou, Jens O. Watzlawik +3
    Nature CommunicationsPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textPhysiologyCrossref
  2. Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers Measured by Capillary Blood Collection Versus Venous Plasma and Cerebrospinal Fluid
    Sara Ho, Ziling Shen, Alexandria Lewis +7
    Annals of clinical and translational neurologyPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textGeneral medicineEurope PMC
  3. Antithetical roles of tau in hippocampal long-term synaptic depression in rats versus mice
    Liam T. Ralph, Eric W. Salter, Patrick Tidball +13
    Molecular BrainPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textPhysiologyDOAJ
  4. Extra-Synaptic Functions of NRG1 Type I Signaling in Hippocampal γ-Oscillations.
    María Clara Soto-Bernardini, Sua Jeong, Hadiseh Hosseinnia +15
    Schizophrenia bulletinPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textPsychiatry & mental healthEurope PMCPMC
  5. Shedding light on left hippocampal mGlu5 in Alzheimer’s disease
    Charleine Zussy, Magalie Mathias, Mathieu Vitalis +9
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaPeer-reviewedPublisher termsFull textNeurosciencePharmacology & toxicologyHAL

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{peter2026plasma,
  title = {{Plasma β‐synuclein associates with hippocampal synaptic density measured with [11C]UCB‐J PET and plasma tau markers in Alzheimer's disease}},
  author = {Darby C Peter and Max McLachlan and Alexandra H DiFilippo and Kao Lee Yang and Mary‐Elizabeth Pasquesi and Todd E Barnhart and Jonathan W Engle and Tobey J Betthauser and Sanjay Asthana and Sterling C Johnson and Bradley T Christian and Barbara B Bendlin and Markus Otto and Patrick Oeckl},
  journal = {Alzheimer's \& Dementia},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1002/alz.71900},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71900},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Plasma β‐synuclein associates with hippocampal synaptic density measured with [11C]UCB‐J PET and plasma tau markers in Alzheimer's disease
AU  - Darby C Peter
AU  - Max McLachlan
AU  - Alexandra H DiFilippo
AU  - Kao Lee Yang
AU  - Mary‐Elizabeth Pasquesi
AU  - Todd E Barnhart
AU  - Jonathan W Engle
AU  - Tobey J Betthauser
AU  - Sanjay Asthana
AU  - Sterling C Johnson
AU  - Bradley T Christian
AU  - Barbara B Bendlin
AU  - Markus Otto
AU  - Patrick Oeckl
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/27
JO  - Alzheimer's & Dementia
DO  - 10.1002/alz.71900
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71900
AB  - 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.  METHODS: 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]).  RESULTS: 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.  DISCUSSION: This work further supports utilization of plasma β‐synuclein to track synaptic degeneration in AD.
SN  - 1552-5260
SN  - 1552-5279
ER  -