A Multiverse Analysis of the Logical Memory Test and Plasma Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease

Bruno, D ORCID: 0000-0003-1943-9905, Jauregi Zinkunegi, A ORCID: 0000-0003-1307-2989, Studer, RL, Wilson, R, Zetterberg, H, Johnson, SC and Mueller, KD A Multiverse Analysis of the Logical Memory Test and Plasma Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease. Cortex. ISSN 0010-9452 (Accepted)

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Abstract

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) detection with blood-based biomarkers promises to revolutionise dementia diagnosis. However, blood testing is still a challenge in remote settings. Cognitive testing that is sensitive to plasma biomarker levels can be a useful proxy. A common test for dementia assessment is the logical memory test (LMT) – where a story is read out loud to the individual and then freely recalled. Alongside standard metrics, item-based metrics, such as recall of proper names and serial positions, are effective at detecting AD-related pathology. We set out to compare a range of LMT metrics against plasma AD biomarkers, and examine differences between men and women.

Methods: The Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention cohort was used for analysis: participants (n=1195, 69% women; mean age = 67.2, SD = 7.7) were free from dementia. Data included logical memory performance, demographics, clinical and genetic information, and plasma biomarkers. Analyses were cross-sectional with a maximum of two years between assessment and biomarker extraction. We carried out multiverse analyses to allow comparison of alternative models with permutations of covariates.

Results. In the full sample, associations were most stable between LMT scores and p-tau217, and were significant across all models, while associations with other plasma biomarkers were generally less reliable. In the stratified analyses, associations were overall more robust and consistent in women than in men.

Discussion. Current findings show LMT metrics are consistently associated with in vivo levels of pathology as measured by plasma p-tau217. The discrepancies observed between men and women require further investigation.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1109 Neurosciences; 1701 Psychology; 1702 Cognitive Sciences; Experimental Psychology; 3209 Neurosciences; 5202 Biological psychology; 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Psychology (from Sep 2019)
Publisher:	Elsevier
Date of acceptance:	4 June 2026
Date Deposited:	04 Jun 2026 11:46
Last Modified:	04 Jun 2026 11:46
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28733

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