p-Tau/Aβ42 Ratio Associates with Cognitive Decline

In this episode, Dr. Scott Sperling and Dr. Elaine Schultz discuss the article p-Tau/Aβ42 ratio associates with cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitively unimpaired older adults with two the paper's authors, Dr. Ruchika Prakash and Michael McKenna. The goal of the study was to examine whether a CSF-based p-Tau/Aβ42 ratio predicted aspects of cognition (global cognitive functioning, episodic memory, and executive functioning) over a 2-year period (data collected at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months). This study utilized data from 1,215 older adults through the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative including those who were cognitive unimpaired, those with mild cognitive impairment, and those with Alzheimer's Disease. Results showed that the p-Tau/Aβ42 ratio predicted global cognitive decline and episodic memory decline in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease and was able to predict decline in executive functioning across all group. This study highlights the potential impact of Alzheimer's-related pathology in the broader aging population on cognitive abilities, with particular impact on executive functioning.