Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42673553›Full record

ArticleNeurology2026

Association Between Alzheimer Pathology, Sleep, and Cognition in Patients With Late-Onset Unexplained Epilepsy.

Rani A Sarkis, Hyun-Sik Yang, Lei Liu, Alice D Lam, Milena Pavlova, Hernan Nicolas Lemus, Nataliia Kozhemiako, Alexis Hankerson, Rebecca Amariglio, Page B Pennell and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

12 authors.

Rani A SarkisDepartment of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA.ORCID 0000-0001-8291-7864
Hyun-Sik YangDepartment of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA.ORCID 0000-0002-8318-0443
Lei LiuDepartment of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA.ORCID 0000-0002-4604-4629
Alice D LamDepartment of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA.ORCID 0000-0001-7754-4637
Milena PavlovaDepartment of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA.
Hernan Nicolas LemusDepartment of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham.ORCID 0000-0003-2485-461X
Nataliia KozhemiakoHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Alexis HankersonDepartment of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA.ORCID 0009-0005-3292-0316
Rebecca AmariglioDepartment of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA.ORCID 0009-0009-5878-8930
Page B PennellDepartment of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, PA.ORCID 0000-0003-0568-2795
Gad A MarshallDepartment of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA.ORCID 0000-0002-9096-2355
Shaun PurcellNew York State Psychiatric Institute, New York.ORCID 0000-0002-7402-5812

Funding

The Contribution of Late Onset Unexplained Epilepsy to Cognitive Decline and its Interaction with Vascular and Alzheimer's Disease PathologiesK23NS119798 · NINDS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI SARKIS, RANI · 2021 to 2025
$1.1M
NINDS NIH HHS K23 NS119798
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesLate-onset unexplained epilepsy (LOUE) has been linked to accelerated cognitive decline. However, the role of neurodegenerative proteins and whether they exert their effects through sleep-related mechanisms remain unexplored in this population. The goal of this study was to investigate the association of plasma p-tau217, a measure of Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology, with cognition in LOUE and its association with sleep.

methodsParticipants with LOUE, with new-onset unprovoked seizures, age at onset 55 years or older, and absence of cortical lesions on MRI, were prospectively recruited. They underwent cognitive testing which included the extended Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (PACC5). A 24-hour EEG was obtained, and sleep manually scored. Measures of sleep macroarchitecture and N2/N3 microarchitecture were extracted including slow oscillation (SO), fast spindle (FS), slow spindle (SS), and spindle-SO coupling measures.

resultsEighty-five participants enrolled (mean age 71.3 ± 7.1 years; 49% female). The average PACC5 Z score (±SD) was -0.63 ± 1.0. Higher plasma levels of log-transformed p-tau217 (per 1 unit increase) were associated with poorer cognition, PACC5 (β = -0.66; 95% CI -1.19 to -0.13; DISCUSSION: In individuals with LOUE, elevated plasma p-tau217 was associated with both cognitive impairment and disrupted sleep microarchitecture, with the most pronounced cognitive deficits observed in individuals with medication refractory epilepsy. These findings support the utility of plasma p-tau217 as a biomarker in this population and underscore the role of sleep processes in the relationship between neurodegenerative pathology and cognition in older adults with epilepsy.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCognitionCognitive DysfunctionEpilepsySleeptau ProteinsAgedAge of OnsetElectroencephalographyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMAPT protein, humantau Proteins

Identifiers

PMID42673553
PMCPMC13626124

What Socratic holds

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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.