Evidence mapPaperPMID 41763008Full record

Observational studyThe journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease2026

Vascular stiffness predicts plasma markers of neurodegeneration among older African Americans.

Miray Budak, Kevin S Heffernan, Victoria Paruzel, Soodeh Moallemian, Bernadette A Fausto, Nicholas Ashton, Henrik Zetterberg, Fanny M Elahi, Mark A Gluck

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Miray BudakCenter for Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, 197 University Ave., Suite 209, Newark, NJ 07102, USA. Electronic address: miray.budak@rutgers.edu.
Kevin S HeffernanDepartment of Biobehavioral Sciences, Movement Science and Applied Physiology, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY, NY, USA. Electronic address: ksh2001@tc.columbia.edu.
Victoria ParuzelCenter for Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, 197 University Ave., Suite 209, Newark, NJ 07102, USA. Electronic address: wtp18@newark.rutgers.edu.
Soodeh MoallemianCenter for Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, 197 University Ave., Suite 209, Newark, NJ 07102, USA. Electronic address: s.moallemian@rutgers.edu.
Bernadette A FaustoCenter for Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, 197 University Ave., Suite 209, Newark, NJ 07102, USA. Electronic address: bernadette.fausto@rutgers.edu.
Nicholas AshtonDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Wallinsgatan 6 431 41, Mölndal, Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: nicholas.ashton@gu.se.
Henrik ZetterbergDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Wallinsgatan 6 431 41, Mölndal, Gothenburg, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Box 100 431 80, Mölndal, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology WC1N 3BG, Queen Square, London, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, 6th Floor, Maple House, Tottenham Ct Rd W1T 7NF, London, UK; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, university of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53792, USA; Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53792, USA; Centre for Brain Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560 012, India. Electronic address: henrik.zetterberg@clinchem.gu.se.
Fanny M ElahiDepartments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, NY, USA. Electronic address: fanny.elahi@mssm.edu.
Mark A GluckCenter for Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, 197 University Ave., Suite 209, Newark, NJ 07102, USA. Electronic address: gluck@newark.rutgers.edu.

Funding

Risk Factors for Future Cognitive Decline and Alzheimers Disease in Older African AmericansR01AG053961 · RUTGERS THE STATE UNIV OF NJ NEWARK · 2025 to 2025
$1.4M
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG053961
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVascular health is a critical and potentially modifiable determinant of Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk, yet its contribution to early neurodegenerative processes remains incompletely understood, particularly among African Americans, who experience a disproportionate AD burden. Estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV), derived from age and blood pressure, provides a scalable index of vascular stiffness.

objectivesTo examine associations between vascular stiffness and plasma biomarkers of AD-related neurodegeneration in older African Americans.

designCross-sectional observational study.

settingCommunity-based aging cohort study conducted at an academic research center.

participantsA total of 145 cognitively unimpaired older African Americans (mean age=71.18±6.83 years; 110 women). MEASUREMENTS: ePWV was calculated using validated equations based on age and blood pressure. Plasma biomarkers included phosphorylated tau217 (p-tau217; N=145), phosphorylated tau231 (p-tau231; N=126), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP; N=126), neurofilament light chain (NfL; N=126), and amyloid-β42/40 ratio (Aβ42/40; N=126). Multivariable regression models adjusted for sex, education, pulse pressure, waist-to-hip ratio, global cognition, and hypertension status.

resultsHigher ePWV was significantly associated with higher plasma concentrations of p-tau217 (β=0.34, p=.006), GFAP (β=0.55, p<.001), and NfL (β=0.52, p<.001), but not with p-tau231 and Aβ42/40 (p>.05).

conclusionsGreater vascular stiffness, indexed by elevated ePWV, was associated with circulating markers of tau-related neurodegeneration, astrocytic activation, and axonal injury in cognitively unimpaired older African Americans. The absence of association with p-tau231 and Aβ42/40 suggests preferential effects on neurovascular damage and later tau-related processes, but no primary effect on biomarkers related to Aβ pathology, still highlighting vascular health as a modifiable target for AD prevention.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseBlack or African AmericanVascular StiffnessAgedAmyloid beta-PeptidesBiomarkersCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleGlial Fibrillary Acidic ProteinHumansMaleNeurofilament ProteinsPulse Wave Analysistau ProteinsAmyloid beta-PeptidesBiomarkersGlial Fibrillary Acidic ProteinNeurofilament Proteinstau ProteinsAlzheimer’s diseaseestimated pulse wave velocityGFAPneurofilament light chainp-tau217vascular stiffness

Identifiers

PMID41763008
PMCPMC12964279

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.