Astrocyte reactivity influences the association of amyloid-β and tau biomarkers in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

An unresolved question for the understanding of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology is why a significant percentage of amyloid β (Aβ)-positive cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals do not develop detectable downstream tau pathology and, consequently, clinical deterioration. evidence suggests that reactive astrocytes are key to unleashing Aβ effects in pathological tau phosphorylation. In a large study ( =1,016) across three cohorts, we tested whether astrocyte reactivity modulates the association of Aβ with plasma tau phosphorylation in CU people.