Spontaneous and perturbation-based EEG cortical excitability markers are associated with plasma p-tau181 concentration in healthy middle-aged adults

In early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition can induce neuronal hyperactivity, thereby potentially triggering activity-dependent neuronal secretion of phosphorylated tau (p-tau), ensuing tau aggregation and spread. Therefore, cortical excitability is a candidate biomarker for early AD detection. Moreover, lowering neuronal excitability could potentially complement strategies to reduce Aβ and tau buildup. There is, however, a lack of understanding of the relationship between cortical excitability and p-tau increase <i>in vivo</i>. Therefore, in a sample of 658 healthy middle-aged (between the ages of 40 and 65) participants of the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative cohort study, we examined the relation of blood-based tau, phosphorylated at amino acid 181 (p-tau181), reflecting neuronal p-tau secretion; neurofilament light chain (NfL), as a passively released control for p-tau181; and electroencephalography (EEG) markers of cortical excitability. A subsample of 47 participants also completed a controlled brain perturbation approach via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with concurrent EEG. Results show that both spontaneous (i.e., resting-state) and perturbation-based TMS-EEG markers, are associated with blood p-tau181, particularly in older individuals. The perturbation-based marker was a significantly more sensitive predictor of p-tau181 concentration than the spontaneous resting state EEG-based marker. The relationships observed are not present for the NfL control. These results show that relationships between p-tau181 and cortical excitability are present in healthy middle-aged subjects and that p-tau181 increases may reflect activity-dependent secretion.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Heliyon
Published
2024-12-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e41118
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.80

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Spontaneous and perturbation-based EEG cortical excitability markers are associated with plasma p-tau181 concentration in healthy middle-aged adults

María Cabello‐Toscano, María Redondo‐Camós, Ruben Perellón‐Alfonso, Lídia Mulet‐Pons et al.
3 citations
Heliyon
Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
0.80
article

Spontaneous and perturbation-based EEG cortical excitability markers are associated with plasma p-tau181 concentration in healthy middle-aged adults

María Cabello‐Toscano, María Redondo‐Camós, Ruben Perellón‐Alfonso, Lídia Mulet‐Pons, Josep M. Tormos, Selma Delgado‐Gallén, Lídia Vaqué‐Alcázar, David Bartrés‐Faz, Álvaro Pascual‐Leone, Goretti España‐Irla, Indre Pileckyte, Kilian Abellaneda‐Pérez, Henrik Zetterberg, Nicolai Franzmeier, G. Cattaneo, Javier Solana Sánchez
article en
3 citations

Abstract

In early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition can induce neuronal hyperactivity, thereby potentially triggering activity-dependent neuronal secretion of phosphorylated tau (p-tau), ensuing tau aggregation and spread. Therefore, cortical excitability is a candidate biomarker for early AD detection. Moreover, lowering neuronal excitability could potentially complement strategies to reduce Aβ and tau buildup. There is, however, a lack of understanding of the relationship between cortical excitability and p-tau increase <i>in vivo</i>. Therefore, in a sample of 658 healthy middle-aged (between the ages of 40 and 65) participants of the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative cohort study, we examined the relation of blood-based tau, phosphorylated at amino acid 181 (p-tau181), reflecting neuronal p-tau secretion; neurofilament light chain (NfL), as a passively released control for p-tau181; and electroencephalography (EEG) markers of cortical excitability. A subsample of 47 participants also completed a controlled brain perturbation approach via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with concurrent EEG. Results show that both spontaneous (i.e., resting-state) and perturbation-based TMS-EEG markers, are associated with blood p-tau181, particularly in older individuals. The perturbation-based marker was a significantly more sensitive predictor of p-tau181 concentration than the spontaneous resting state EEG-based marker. The relationships observed are not present for the NfL control. These results show that relationships between p-tau181 and cortical excitability are present in healthy middle-aged subjects and that p-tau181 increases may reflect activity-dependent secretion.

HeliyonVol. 10(24)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), Northeastern University (US), University of Wisconsin–Madison (US), Harvard University (US), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES), Sahlgrenska University Hospital (SE), Hospital de Sant Pau (ES), Valencia Catholic University Saint Vincent Martyr (ES), LMU Klinikum (DE), Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (DE), Institut Guttmann (ES), Hebrew SeniorLife (US), UK Dementia Research Institute (GB), Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol (ES), National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (GB), Consorci Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer (ES), Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (ES), University College London (GB), Universitat de Barcelona (ES), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE), University of Gothenburg (SE)
Alzheimer's Association, Familjen Erling-Perssons Stiftelse, Cure Alzheimer's Fund, Stiftelsen för Gamla Tjänarinnor, EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research, National Institute for Health and Care Research, University College London, European Commission, Hjärnfonden, Vetenskapsrådet, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, UK Dementia Research Institute, Fundación Bancaria Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona, National Institutes of Health, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 28%
Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
0.80
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.