Abstract
Cortex. 2026 Jun 16;202:181-192. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2026.06.005. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) detection with blood-based biomarkers promises to revolutionise dementia diagnosis. However, blood testing is still a challenge in remote settings. Cognitive testing that is sensitive to plasma biomarker levels can be a useful proxy. A common test for dementia assessment is the logical memory test (LMT) - where a story is read out loud to the individual and then freely recalled. Alongside standard metrics, item-based metrics, such as recall of proper names and serial positions, are effective at detecting AD-related pathology. We set out to compare a range of LMT metrics against plasma AD biomarkers, and examine differences between men and women.
METHODS: The Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention cohort was used for analysis: participants (n = 1195, 69% women; mean age = 67.2, SD = 7.7) were free from dementia. Data included logical memory performance, demographics, clinical and genetic information, and plasma biomarkers. Analyses were cross-sectional with a maximum of two years between assessment and biomarker extraction. We carried out multiverse analyses to allow comparison of alternative models with permutations of covariates.
RESULTS: In the full sample, associations were most stable between LMT scores and p-tau217, and were significant across all models, while associations with other plasma biomarkers were generally less reliable. In the stratified analyses, associations were overall more robust and consistent in women than in men.
DISCUSSION: Current findings show LMT metrics are consistently associated with in vivo levels of pathology as measured by plasma p-tau217. The discrepancies observed between men and women require further investigation.
PMID:42335710 | DOI:10.1016/j.cortex.2026.06.005
UK DRI Authors
