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Introduction: Plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a marker of astrocytic activation, has been linked to Alzheimer's disease; however, its prognostic value in cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals remains unclear.
Methods: We included 949 CU older adults from the A4 preclinical AD trial, and its companion LEARN cohort. Baseline plasma GFAP was measured, and longitudinal associations with cognitive decline, clinical dementia rating (CDR) progression, and imaging biomarkers were assessed over 240 weeks.
Results: Baseline plasma GFAP was higher in females and in A4 (amyloid-positive) versus LEARN (amyloid-negative) participants. Cross-sectionally, elevated GFAP was associated with lower cognitive performance and greater amyloid burden. Longitudinally, higher GFAP predicted faster cognitive decline, increased risk of CDR progression, AD-related cortical atrophy, and amyloid conversion, with stronger effects in females.
Discussion: Plasma GFAP is a prognostic biomarker in CU older adults, predicting cognitive and biological changes, with stronger associations observed in females, highlighting a possible sex-specific vulnerability.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.28.25334681 | DOI Listing |
J Magn Reson Imaging
September 2025
Department of Neurology, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Background: Cerebrovascular reactivity reflects changes in cerebral blood flow in response to an acute stimulus and is reflective of the brain's ability to match blood flow to demand. Functional MRI with a breath-hold task can be used to elicit this vasoactive response, but data validity hinges on subject compliance. Determining breath-hold compliance often requires external monitoring equipment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHum Brain Mapp
September 2025
Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Perinatal stroke is a vascular injury occurring early in life, often resulting in motor deficits (hemiplegic cerebral palsy/HCP). Comorbidities may also include poor neuropsychological outcomes, such as deficits in memory. Previous studies have used resting state functional MRI (fMRI) to demonstrate that functional connectivity (FC) within hippocampal circuits is associated with memory function in typically developing controls (TDC) and in adults after stroke, but this is unexplored in perinatal stroke.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn
September 2025
Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Cognitive function is a critical health indicator of older adults in later life. However, previous research has paid less attention to the impact of pre-retirement work-related characteristics on cognitive functions, especially in Asia. Thus, this study aims to examine the relationship between work-related factors and cognitive functions of the retired population, using Taiwan as an example.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Geriatr Med Res
September 2025
Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Background: Poor hand dexterity may increase the risk of functional disability; however, few studies have examined the relationship between hand dexterity and incident functional disability. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate the dose-response association of hand dexterity with incident functional disability in community-dwelling older adults.
Methods: This study included 1,069 older adults aged ≥65 years in Kasama City, Japan.
Foot Ankle Int
September 2025
Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Background: Coronal wedge insoles are commonly prescribed to mitigate musculoskeletal disorders, yet their static-standing kinematic and kinetic effects on lower extremity joints remain insufficiently understood.
Methods: This cross-sectional experimental study included 15 healthy older adults (mean 64.9 ± 6.