Impact of Plasma p‐tau181 on Cognition, Motor Phenotypes, and Disease Course in ALS

Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology 2026 Open access

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Authors: Elisabeth Kasper, Annaliis Lehto, Nina Nordmann, Oliver Peters, Julian Hellmann, Josef Priller, Eike Jakob Spruth, Gabor C. Petzold, Ina Vogt, Patrick Weydt, Sarah Bernsen, Elisabeth Dinter
+14 more Björn Falkenburger, René Günther, Emrah Düzel, Wenzel Glanz, Matthis Synofzik, Lukas Beichert, Annika Spottke, Michael Wagner, Frederic Brosseron, Matthias C. Schmid, Anja Schneider, Stefan Teipel, Johannes Prudlo, Andreas Hermann
DOI: 10.1002/acn3.70423
Cited by: 1
References: 21

Abstract

Phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181), an Alzheimer's disease biomarker, was recently evaluated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We investigated plasma p-tau181 in 202 ALS/ALS-FTD patients and 94 healthy controls, assessing cognitive performance, motor function, and longitudinal dynamics. Plasma p-tau181 and NfL were significantly elevated in ALS, with p-tau181 increasing over 1 year while NfL remained stable. Neither marker correlated with cognitive performance, and only NfL was associated with disease severity and progression. Plasma p-tau181 was higher in patients with predominant lower motor neuron involvement. The results indicate that p-tau181 reflects peripheral processes in ALS, providing a complementary, mechanistically distinct biomarker from NfL.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Alzheimer's disease research and treatments Genetic Neurodegenerative Diseases

Publication details

Journal / source
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
13
Issue
8
Pages
1711–1718
Publication date
4 May 2026
Language
EN