Syrjanen, Jeremy A.

Importance TMEM106B is a frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) genetic susceptibility factor, and TMEM106B protein aggregates are a feature of aging and neurodegeneration. Whether TMEM106B protein levels are associated with clinical features is unknown. Objective To investigate the clinical associations of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) TMEM106B in FTLD. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2 independent frontotemporal dementia (FTD) cohorts (recruitment from April 2009 through July 2023, with analyses from January 2025 through April 2026), with a 2-year follow up. This multicenter clinical study integrated clinical, genetic, biomarker, and neuroimaging data. Individuals were recruited through the University of California, San Francisco (n = 3733), or ALLFTD (n = 2343). Participants with available CSF were included. A discovery cohort (n = 271) included participants with sporadic neuropathology-confirmed FTLD; presymptomatic or symptomatic carriers of pathogenic variants in C9orf72 , GRN , or MAPT ; or controls. An independent validation cohort (n = 383) included participants with clinically diagnosed sporadic FTD, Alzheimer disease (AD), and controls. Exposures CSF samples for TMEM106B quantification with aptamer proteomics (SomaScan version 3.0 [discovery cohort] and SomaScan version 4.1 [validation cohort]). Main Outcomes and Measures Parametric tests compared the primary outcome, CSF TMEM106B, by disease severity, TMEM106B rs1990622 genotype, sex, clinical syndrome, pathological diagnosis, and pathogenic variant and determined associations with brain volume. Results In the discovery (n = 271; 136 women [51%]; median [IQR] age, 59 [38-80] years) and validation (n = 383; 183 women [48%]; median [IQR] age, 64 [50-78] years) cohorts, lower CSF TMEM106B was associated with more severe disease (β, −0.15; 95% CI, −0.24 to −0.04; P = .003), lower frontotemporal brain volumes (β, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.24-0.61; P < .001), and faster clinical progression (β, −2.21; 95% CI, −3.70 to −0.72; P = .001). Associations of TMEM106B with clinical disease severity were independent of those with neurofilament light chain. TMEM106B levels were influenced by TMEM106B rs1990622 genotype, where individuals with the protective G/G genotype had lower levels than the risk A/A genotype. CSF TMEM106B levels did not differentiate between FTLD subtypes or between FTLD and AD. Conclusions and Relevance Per the results of this cross-sectional study, TMEM106B is detectable in CSF and levels reflect disease severity in sporadic and genetic FTLD and AD, but levels are also influenced by the TMEM106B rs1990622 genotype. CSF TMEM106B could support further studies to understand the mechanisms of disease and develop clinical tools in FTLD and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Abstract Background Decreased kidney function, indicated by a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), may affect interpretation of Alzheimer's disease (AD) blood biomarkers, including phosphorylated tau ( p ‐tau) and amyloid‐beta (Aβ) peptides, due to altered clearance. However, there is limited data available to determine the influence of eGFR on these biomarkers and whether it differs by biomarker or assay type, especially in racially diverse studies of community‐based older adults. Methods We used data from 557 participants in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (Rochester, MN n = 182; age 79±8 years; 36.3% Female, White participants) and the UMMC MIND Center‐Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (Jackson, MS n = 375; age 69±8 years; 73% Female 27% Black participants). eGFR was determined using the 2021 CKD‐EPI Creatinine equation. Plasma biomarkers were measured using the Lumipulse immunoassays for p ‐tau217, Aβ42, and Aβ40 (Fujirebio Diagnostics; n = 420); or the mass spectrometry‐based PrecivityAD2 assay (C2N Diagnostics; n = 253) for p ‐tau217, np‐tau217, Aβ42, and Aβ40. Common ratio values were calculated. Aβ42/40 measures were inverted so higher values are worse for all biomarkers. Log base‐2 transformed regression analysis related eGFR to each single analyte and ratio; coefficients (95% CI) reflect estimated doubling in biomarker per doubling in eGFR. Group specific [MN White ( n = 182), MS White ( n = 224), MS Black ( n = 151) participants] estimates are reported, as the distribution of social determinants of health can vary across populations and locations. Results Lower eGFR was associated with higher (worse) AD‐plasma biomarkers, and group stratified estimates were mostly consistent (Figure 1). Ratios of biomarkers diminished but did not entirely alleviate associations with eGFR. For example, MN White participants’ C2N p ‐tau217 association of ‐1.47 (‐1.94, ‐1.00), was attenuated to ‐0.67 (‐1.11, ‐0.22), when using p ‐tau217/np‐tau217. Conclusions Kidney function may be associated with AD‐plasma biomarker values, even with common ratio corrections. There was not strong evidence for highly differential associations of eGFR by race/site categories, though sample sizes are currently limited. The implications for diagnosis and risk classification need to be explored further to support health equity. Optimal consideration of comorbidities on blood biomarker concentrations must continue to be informed by investigation in large, racially and ethnically diverse, community‐based studies.

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to determine the predictive value of amyloid‐PET versus plasma %p‐tau217 (defined as the ratio of phosphorylated to non‐phosphorylated Tau217 × 100), Aβ42/40, and the amyloid probability score (APS2; which combines of Aβ42/40 and %p‐tau217) in tau‐PET transitions (T‐ to T+). Method Participants included were from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA) and had plasma markers measured by mass spectrometry (IP‐MS; C2N), had an amyloid‐PET scan, and had a tau‐PET negative scan (SUVR<1.29, temporal meta‐ROI) at the baseline, along with one or more follow‐up tau‐PET scans. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the relationship between C2N plasma %P‐Tau217 and APS2 and incident tau‐PET positivity (SUVR>=1.29) adjusting for age, sex, and APOE ε4. An analysis was also performed using amyloid‐PET centiloid as the predictor. Both the plasma markers and amyloid‐PET centiloid were scaled so that a one‐unit change corresponds to the respective interquartile range (IQR) for comparability of hazard ratios (HR). The analyses were repeated in the BioFINDER‐2 cohort for validation. Result 255 MCSA participants (122 female [47.8%] were included with a median age of 71.9 (IQR: 65.8, 78.8) years old, of which 37 progressed to tau‐PET positivity. At baseline, 238 (93.7%) were cognitively unimpaired. Higher baseline %p‐tau217 (HR: 1.52 [95% CI: 1.28, 1.8]), amyloid‐PET centiloid (HR: 1.47 [95% CI: 1.20, 1.79]), and APS2 (HR: 1.62 [95% CI: 1.22, 2.16]) were associated with an increased risk of progressing to tau‐PET positive (Figure 1). Aβ42/40 (HR: 1.06 [95% 0.604–1.867] was not associated with incident tau positivity Among 605 participants who were tau negative at index date in BioFINDER‐2 (316 (52.2%) cognitively unimpaired), with a median age of 70.2 (IQR: 60.5‐76.4), 33 progressed to tau positivity with higher %p‐tau217 (HR: 1.8 [95% CI: 1.5, 2.17]), amyloid‐PET centiloid (HR: 2.3 [95% CI: 1.77, 2.97]), and lower Aβ 42/40 (HR: 0.42 [95% CI: 0.21, 0.85]) at index date all associated with an increased risk of progressing to tau‐PET positive. Conclusion In two independent cohorts , %p‐tau217 provides predictive information about those who will convert from tau negative to tau positive on PET scan with the associations being similar to amyloid‐PET.

ABSTRACT Background Previous studies on the relationship between prediabetes, HbA1c and cognitive trajectories show mixed results. Therefore, we investigated the association of prediabetes, diabetes and HbA1c with change in global and domain‐specific cognitive scores in cognitively unimpaired (CU) adults, as well as the potential effect modification by sex or age. Methods This longitudinal study included 4236 CU persons aged ≥ 50 years from the population‐based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. We ran linear mixed‐effect models with baseline prediabetes, diabetes and HbA1c predicting longitudinal global and domain‐specific (i.e., memory, language, attention/executive function, and visuospatial skills) cognitive z‐scores and raw scores. Models were adjusted for age, sex, education, medical comorbidity, repeated cognitive testing, and ApoEɛ4. We additionally ran models with sex and age interactions. Results Compared to normoglycemic individuals, individuals with prediabetes and diabetes showed poorer performance on cognitive tests, i.e., TMT‐B, category fluency, and block design subtest over time. Additionally, the presence of prediabetes, diabetes, longer diabetes duration and higher HbA1c were associated with faster global and domain‐specific cognitive decline over a median follow‐up of 6.4 years (range 1–19). Three‐way interactions showed that the effect of diabetes on decline in global cognition, attention and visuospatial domains was more pronounced in women than in men. Age did not modify the effect of diabetes or higher HbA1c on cognition. Conclusions The results suggest that prediabetes and diabetes significantly shorten the timeframe before a potentially clinically noticeable change in global and domain‐specific cognition is reached. Thus, lifestyle modification to reverse prediabetes and prevent diabetes could potentially reduce the rate of cognitive decline in aging populations. The findings differed by sex (i.e., the effect of diabetes on decline in global cognition, attention and visuospatial domains was more pronounced in women than men).

Abstract BACKGROUND Understanding long-term sequelae of cancer care is critical. Cognitive impairment is a common and disabling survivorship issue. Because sex influences tumor biology, therapy exposure, and dementia risk, we examined whether cancer care for a prior malignancy alters late-life cognitive outcomes differently in males and females. METHODS We assessed adults ≥50 years, cognitively normal at study entry, from a longitudinal, population-based cohort (Mayo Clinic Study of Aging). Participants were linked to our institutional cancer registry (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers). Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia were adjudicated by consensus. We fitted multivariable Cox proportional-hazards models to estimate how prevalent cancer diagnosis influenced the risk of developing MCI/dementia. Sex-specific effects were determined by incorporating a cancer×sex interaction term and by generating separate hazard ratios. Analyses were controlled for age, APOE4 status, education, and presence of vascular/metabolic conditions. RESULTS 5793 MCSA participants (female: 49.4%, APOE4 positive: 27.5%) were included in the study, with a mean age of 73 years at study entry. Incident MCI was recorded in 866 participants, and 737 were diagnosed with incident dementia. About 20% (n=1176) of the cohort had a cancer diagnosis, most commonly prostate (n=423) and breast (n=277). There was no independent relationship between history of cancer and risk for MCI or dementia. We found that males with cancer had an increased risk for MCI (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.04-1.57, p=0.003) and dementia (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.04-1.6, p=0.053). Conversely, females with cancer had a lower risk for MCI (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.61-1.01, p=0.063), although this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggests male cancer survivors may be more susceptible to cognitive impairment, independent of age, APOE4 status, education, and vascular/metabolic burden. Elucidating the hormonal, treatment-related, and systemic pathways driving this should be a priority for future mechanistic studies.

Background The literature on dyslipidemia and cognitive trajectories among cognitively unimpaired (CU) persons remains inconclusive. Objective To investigate the association between baseline dyslipidemia and change in global and domain specific (i.e., memory, language, attention/executive function, and visuospatial skills) cognition in a population-based setting and whether the association differs by sex, age, or APOE ɛ4 carrier status. Methods We conducted a longitudinal study derived from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, involving 4236 CU persons aged ≥ 50 years. We ran linear mixed-effect models to examine baseline dyslipidemia in predicting longitudinal cognitive global and domain-specific z-scores adjusted for age, sex, education, medical comorbidity, repeated cognitive testing, and APOE ɛ4. We examined interactions among dyslipidemia, years since baseline, and separately by sex, age, and APOE ɛ4 carrier status. Results Over a median follow-up period of 6.4 years, CU individuals with dyslipidemia showed faster decline in z-scores of all domains, i.e., memory, language, attention/executive function, visuospatial and global cognition relative to CU individuals without dyslipidemia. Three-way interactions showed that dyslipidemia's effect on decline in z-scores of global cognition, attention and visuospatial skills was less pronounced in males than females. Higher age increased dyslipidemia's effect on decline in z-scores of attention but not global cognition or any other domain. APOE ɛ4 carrier status did not modify the effect of dyslipidemia on cognitive z-scores. Conclusions Dyslipidemia was associated with faster global and domain-specific cognitive decline over time in older community-dwelling individuals who were cognitively unimpaired at baseline. The effect of dyslipidemia on cognitive trajectories may be sex-influenced.

Objective The objective of this study was to determine the predictive value of amyloid‐positron emission tomography (PET) versus the plasma ratio of phosphorylated tau at threonine 217 (p‐tau217) to non‐phosphorylated tau217 (%p‐tau217) for tau‐PET transitions (T− to T+). The added value of combining plasma amyloid‐β 42 and amyloid‐β 40 (Aβ42/40) and %p‐tau217 into an amyloid probability score (APS2) was also assessed. Methods Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA) participants had plasma markers measured at via mass spectrometry (MS), an amyloid‐PET scan, and a tau‐PET (meta‐temporal region of interest [ROI]) negative scan (standardized uptake value ratio [SUVR] <1.29) at the index (baseline) date, along with one or more follow‐up tau‐PET scans. The BioFINDER‐2 cohort was used for validation. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, sex, and apolipoprotein ( APOE ) ε4 were used to assess predictors, with scaling to the interquartile range (IQR) for comparability of hazard ratios (HR). Results Among 255 tau‐PET negative MCSA participants (median age: 71.9 years), 37 converted to tau‐PET positive (median follow‐up time: 3.81 years). Higher %p‐tau217 (HR: 1.52 [95% CI: 1.28–1.80]), amyloid‐PET centiloid (HR: 1.47 [95% CI: 1.20–1.79]), and APS2 (HR: 1.62 [95% CI: 1.22–2.16]) predicted tau‐PET conversion. However, Aβ42/40 (HR: 0.94 [95% CI: 0.54–1.66]) was not associated with tau‐PET conversion. In the BioFINDER‐2 cohort (605 tau‐negative, median age: 70.2), 33 converted to tau‐positive (median follow‐up time: 2 years), with higher %p‐tau217 (HR: 1.80 [95% CI: 1.50–2.17]), amyloid‐PET centiloid (HR: 2.29 [95% CI: 1.77–2.97]), and lower Aβ42/40 (HR: 2.38 [95% CI: 1.17–4.83]) predicting conversion. Interpretation In two cohorts, %p‐tau217 was associated with tau‐PET conversion, comparable to amyloid‐PET. APS2 also predicted conversion in the MCSA cohort, whereas Aβ42/40 predicted conversion in the BioFINDER‐2 cohort, which had more individuals with cognitive impairment. ANN NEUROL 2025;98:1249–1260