Association of plasma YKL-40 with brain amyloid-β levels, memory performance, and sex in subjective memory complainers

• Neuroinflammation, a key early pathomechanistic alteration of Alzheimer's disease, may represent either a detrimental or a compensatory mechanism or both (according to the disease stage). YKL-40, a glycoprotein highly expressed in differentiated glial cells, is a candidate biomarker for in vivo tracking neuroinflammation in humans. We performed a longitudinal study in a monocentric cohort of cognitively healthy individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease exploring whether age, sex, and the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele affect plasma YKL-40 concentrations. We investigated whether YKL-40 is associated with brain amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition, neuronal activity, and neurodegeneration as assessed via neuroimaging biomarkers. Finally, we investigated whether YKL-40 may predict cognitive performance. We found an age-associated increase of YKL-40 and observed that men display higher concentrations than women, indicating a potential sexual dimorphism. Moreover, YKL-40 was positively associated with memory performance and negatively associated with brain Aβ deposition (but not with metabolic signal). Consistent with translational studies, our results suggest a potentially protective effect of glia on incipient brain Aβ accumulation and neuronal homeostasis. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Neurovetenskaper (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Neurosciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Alzheimer's disease

Amyloid

Neuroinflammation

Sex

YKL-40

amyloid beta protein

apolipoprotein E4

biological marker

fluorodeoxyglucose f 18

glycoprotein

unclassified drug

YKL 40 protein

age

aged

Alzheimer disease

Article

basal forebrain

brain cortex

brain metabolism

brain size

Clinical Dementia Rating

cognition

cohort analysis

controlled study

cross-sectional study

entorhinal cortex

female

follow up

gender

hippocampus

human

human cell

longitudinal study

major clinical study

male

memory

memory disorder

mental performance

Mini Mental State Examination

nervous system inflammation

nuclear magnetic resonance imaging

observational study

orbital cortex

parietal cortex

pathogenesis

positron emission tomography

priority journal

protein blood level

right inferior parietal cortex

risk factor

sex difference

subjective memory complaint

tissue level

very elderly

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)