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.
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This post is Copyright: | October 28, 2026
Neuro-Dementia