July 15, 2026 · JAMA · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2026.12556

Prognostic Value of Blood-Based P-Tau217 Levels for Progression to Cognitive Impairment

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The authors aimed to estimate the absolute risk of progression to cognitive impairment and rates of cognitive decline in cognitively unimpaired older adults based on plasma levels of phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217). They found that higher baseline p-tau217 levels were significantly associated with an increased risk of progression to cognitive impairment and faster cognitive decline over time. These findings suggest the potential use of p-tau217 as a prognostic biomarker in clinical settings, although further validation in broader populations is necessary.

Rachel F Buckley, Diana L Townsend, Colin J Birkenbihl, Madison Cuppels, Gillian T Coughlan, Mabel T Seto, Jane A Brown, Michael J Properzi, Merle C Hönig, Annie Li, Aaron P Schultz, Jasmeer Chhatwal, Hyun-Sik Yang, Steven Arnold, Pia Kivisäkk, Bryan D James, Sid O'Bryant, Robert A Rissman, Melissa Petersen, Jessica Z K Caldwell, Tobey Betthauser, Julie Elisabeth Oomens, Maria Carrigan, Brian Healy, Jorge Garcia Condado, Sterling C Johnson, Wai-Ying Wendy Yau, Oliver Langford, Michelle Farrell, Rebecca E Amariglio, Dorene M Rentz, Kathryn V Papp, Ron Brookmeyer, Timothy J Hohman, Michael Donohue, Paul S Aisen, Keith A Johnson, Reisa A Sperling, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s (A4) and Longitudinal Evaluation of Amyloid Risk and Neurodegeneration (LEARN) studies, Harvard Aging Brain Study (HABS), Health & Aging Brain Study – Health D, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s (A4) and Longitudinal Evaluation of Amyloid Risk and Neurodegeneration (LEARN) studies, Harvard Aging Brain Study (HABS), Health & Aging Brain Study – Health Disparities (HABS-HD), and Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention (WRAP)

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