A study found plasma p-tau181 was elevated in people with ALS but did not track cognition or disease progression
Original source
Impact of Plasma p-tau181 on Cognition, Motor Phenotypes, and Disease Course in ALS. (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Studied in
- Human
Related topics
Plasma phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181) was higher in 202 people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) than in 94 healthy controls. Levels rose over one year, but they were not linked to cognitive performance; unlike neurofilament light (NfL), p-tau181 was not associated with disease severity or progression. The study found higher p-tau181 levels in people with predominantly lower motor neuron involvement.
Why this matters
The findings suggest p-tau181 could provide information about a biological process in ALS that differs from what NfL measures. This may be useful for future biomarker research, but the study does not show that p-tau181 improves diagnosis, predicts an individual’s course, or changes treatment.
Limitations and context
This was a biomarker study involving 202 people with ALS or ALS with frontotemporal dementia and 94 healthy controls. The reported associations do not establish that p-tau181 causes, or can reliably predict, clinical changes. Further studies would be needed to validate how the marker could be used in practice.