| 1. |
- Abdelnour, Carla, et al.
(författare)
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Parsing heterogeneity within dementia with Lewy bodies using clustering of biological, clinical, and demographic data
- 2022
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Ingår i: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) includes various core clinical features that result in different phenotypes. In addition, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cerebrovascular pathologies are common in DLB. All this increases the heterogeneity within DLB and hampers clinical diagnosis. We addressed this heterogeneity by investigating subgroups of patients with similar biological, clinical, and demographic features.Methods: We studied 107 extensively phenotyped DLB patients from the European DLB consortium. Factorial analysis of mixed data (FAMD) was used to identify dimensions in the data, based on sex, age, years of education, disease duration, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of AD biomarkers, core features of DLB, and regional brain atrophy. Subsequently, hierarchical clustering analysis was used to subgroup individuals based on the FAMD dimensions.Results: We identified 3 dimensions using FAMD that explained 38% of the variance. Subsequent hierarchical clustering identified 4 clusters. Cluster 1 was characterized by amyloid-beta and cerebrovascular pathologies, medial temporal atrophy, and cognitive fluctuations. Cluster 2 had posterior atrophy and showed the lowest frequency of visual hallucinations and cognitive fluctuations and the worst cognitive performance. Cluster 3 had the highest frequency of tau pathology, showed posterior atrophy, and had a low frequency of parkinsonism. Cluster 4 had virtually normal AD biomarkers, the least regional brain atrophy and cerebrovascular pathology, and the highest MMSE scores.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that there are subgroups of DLB patients with different biological, clinical, and demographic characteristics. These findings may have implications in the diagnosis and prognosis of DLB, as well as in the treatment response in clinical trials.
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| 2. |
- Adamczuk, Katarzyna, et al.
(författare)
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Diagnostic value of cerebrospinal fluid A beta ratios in preclinical Alzheimer's disease
- 2015
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Ingår i: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: In this study of preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) we assessed the added diagnostic value of using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) A beta ratios rather than A beta 42 in isolation for detecting individuals who are positive on amyloid positron emission tomography (PET). Methods: Thirty-eight community-recruited cognitively intact older adults (mean age 73, range 65-80 years) underwent F-18-flutemetamol PET and CSF measurement of A beta 1-42, A beta 1-40, A beta 1-38, and total tau (ttau). F-18-flutemetamol retention was quantified using standardized uptake value ratios in a composite cortical region (SUVRcomp) with reference to cerebellar grey matter. Based on a prior autopsy validation study, the SUVRcomp cut-off was 1.57. Sensitivities, specificities and cut-offs were defined based on receiver operating characteristic analysis with CSF analytes as variables of interest and F-18-flutemetamol positivity as the classifier. We also determined sensitivities and CSF cut-off values at fixed specificities of 90 % and 95 %. Results: Seven out of 38 subjects (18 %) were positive on amyloid PET. A beta 42/ttau, A beta 42/A beta 40, A beta 42/A beta 38, and A beta 42 had the highest accuracy to identify amyloid-positive subjects (area under the curve (AUC) >= 0.908). A beta 40 and A beta 38 had significantly lower discriminative power (AUC = 0.571). When specificity was fixed at 90 % and 95 %, A beta 42/ttau had the highest sensitivity among the different CSF markers (85.71 % and 71.43 %, respectively). Sensitivity of A beta 42 alone was significantly lower under these conditions (57.14 % and 42.86 %, respectively). Conclusion: For the CSF-based definition of preclinical AD, if a high specificity is required, our data support the use of A beta 42/ttau rather than using A beta 42 in isolation.
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| 3. |
- Akinci, Muge, et al.
(författare)
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Subjective cognitive decline and anxious/depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic : what is the role of stress perception, stress resilience, and β-amyloid?
- 2022
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Ingår i: Alzheimer's Research and Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The COVID-19 pandemic may worsen the mental health of people reporting subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and therefore their clinical prognosis. We aimed to investigate the association between the intensity of SCD and anxious/depressive symptoms during confinement and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Two hundred fifty cognitively unimpaired participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and SCD-Questionnaire (SCD-Q) and underwent amyloid-β positron emission tomography imaging with [18F] flutemetamol (N = 205) on average 2.4 (± 0.8) years before the COVID-19 confinement. During the confinement, participants completed the HADS, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and an ad hoc questionnaire on worries (access to primary products, self-protection materials, economic situation) and lifestyle changes (sleep duration, sleep quality, eating habits). We investigated stress-related measurements, worries, and lifestyle changes in relation to SCD. We then conducted an analysis of covariance to investigate the association of SCD-Q with HADS scores during the confinement while controlling for pre-confinement anxiety/depression scores and demographics. Furthermore, we introduced amyloid-β positivity, PSS, and BRS in the models and performed mediation analyses to explore the mechanisms explaining the association between SCD and anxiety/depression. Results: In the whole sample, the average SCD-Q score was 4.1 (± 4.4); 70 (28%) participants were classified as SCD, and 26 (12.7%) were amyloid-β-positive. During the confinement, participants reporting SCD showed higher PSS (p = 0.035) but not BRS scores (p = 0.65) than those that did not report SCD. No differences in worries or lifestyle changes were observed. Higher SCD-Q scores showed an association with greater anxiety/depression scores irrespective of pre-confinement anxiety/depression levels (p = 0.002). This association was not significant after introducing amyloid-β positivity and stress-related variables in the model (p = 0.069). Amyloid-β positivity and PSS were associated with greater HADS irrespective of pre-confinement anxiety/depression scores (p = 0.023; p < 0.001). The association of SCD-Q with HADS was mediated by PSS (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Higher intensity of SCD, amyloid-β positivity, and stress perception showed independent associations with anxious/depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 confinement irrespective of pre-confinement anxiety/depression levels. The association of SCD intensity with anxiety/depression was mediated by stress perception, suggesting stress regulation as a potential intervention to reduce affective symptomatology in the SCD population in the face of stressors.
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| 4. |
- Almkvist, Ove, et al.
(författare)
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A biomarker-validated time scale in years of disease progression has identified early- and late-onset subgroups in sporadic Alzheimer's disease
- 2023
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Ingår i: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. - : Springer Nature. - 1758-9193. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: It is possible to calculate the number of years to the expected clinical onset (YECO) of autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease (adAD). A similar time scale is lacking for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD). The purpose was to design and validate a time scale in YECO for patients with sAD in relation to CSF and PET biomarkers. Methods: Patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 48) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 46) participated in the study. They underwent a standardized clinical examination at the Memory clinic, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, which included present and previous medical history, laboratory screening, cognitive assessment, CSF biomarkers (A beta(42), total-tau, and p-tau), and an MRI of the brain. They were also assessed with two PET tracers, C-11-Pittsburgh compound B and F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose. Assuming concordance of cognitive decline in sAD and adAD, YECO for these patients was calculated using equations for the relationship between cognitive performance, YECO, and years of education in adAD (Almkvist et al. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 23:195-203, 2017). Results: The mean current point of disease progression was 3.2 years after the estimated clinical onset in patients with sAD and 3.4 years prior to the estimated clinical onset in patients with MCI, as indicated by the median YECO from five cognitive tests. The associations between YECO and biomarkers were significant, while those between chronological age and biomarkers were nonsignificant. The estimated disease onset (chronological age minus YECO) followed a bimodal distribution with frequency maxima before (early-onset) and after (late-onset) 65 years of age. The early- and late-onset subgroups differed significantly in biomarkers and cognition, but after control for YECO, this difference disappeared for all except the APOE e4 gene (more frequent in early- than in late-onset). Conclusions: A novel time scale in years of disease progression based on cognition was designed and validated in patients with AD using CSF and PET biomarkers. Two early- and late-disease onset subgroups were identified differing with respect to APOE e4.
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| 5. |
- Altomare, Daniele, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma biomarkers increase diagnostic confidence in patients with Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
- 2024
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Ingår i: Alzheimer's research & therapy. - 1758-9193. ; 16:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The recent development of techniques to assess plasma biomarkers has changed the way the research community envisions the future of diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. This work aims to provide real world evidence on the clinical impact of plasma biomarkers in an academic tertiary care center.Anonymized clinical reports of patients diagnosed with AD or Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration with available plasma biomarkers (Aβ42, Aβ42/Aβ40, p-tau181, p-tau231, NfL, GFAP) were independently assessed by two neurologists who expressed diagnosis and diagnostic confidence three times: (T0) at baseline based on the information collected during the first visit, (T1) after plasma biomarkers, and (T2) after traditional biomarkers (when available). Finally, we assessed whether clinicians' interpretation of plasma biomarkers and the consequent clinical impact are consistent with the final diagnosis, determined after the conclusion of the diagnostic clinical and instrumental work-up by the actual managing physicians who had complete access to all available information.Clinicians assessed 122 reports, and their concordance ranged from 81 to 91% at the three time points. At T1, the presentation of plasma biomarkers resulted in a change of diagnosis in 2% (2/122, p=1.00) of cases, and in increased diagnostic confidence in 76% (91/120, p<0.001) of cases with confirmed diagnosis. The change in diagnosis and the increase in diagnostic confidence after plasma biomarkers were consistent with the final diagnosis in 100% (2/2) and 81% (74/91) of cases, respectively. At T2, the presentation of traditional biomarkers resulted in a further change of diagnosis in 13% (12/94, p=0.149) of cases, and in increased diagnostic confidence in 88% (72/82, p<0.001) of cases with confirmed diagnosis.In an academic tertiary care center, plasma biomarkers supported clinicians by increasing their diagnostic confidence in most cases, despite a negligible impact on diagnosis. Future prospective studies are needed to assess the full potential of plasma biomarkers on clinical grounds.
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| 6. |
- Andersson, E., et al.
(författare)
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Cerebral A beta deposition precedes reduced cerebrospinal fluid and serum A beta 42/A beta 40 ratios in the App(NL-F/NL-F) knock-in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
- 2023
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Ingår i: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundA beta 42/A beta 40 ratios in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood are reduced in preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD), but their temporal and correlative relationship with cerebral A beta pathology at this early disease stage is not well understood. In the present study, we aim to investigate such relationships using App knock-in mouse models of preclinical AD.MethodsCSF, serum, and brain tissue were collected from 3- to 18-month-old App(NL-F/NL-F) knock-in mice (n = 48) and 2-18-month-old App(NL/NL) knock-in mice (n = 35). The concentrations of A beta 42 and A beta 40 in CSF and serum were measured using Single molecule array (Simoa) immunoassays. Cerebral A beta plaque burden was assessed in brain tissue sections by immunohistochemistry and thioflavin S staining. Furthermore, the concentrations of A beta 42 in soluble and insoluble fractions prepared from cortical tissue homogenates were measured using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.ResultsIn App(NL-F/NL-F) knock-in mice, A beta 42/A beta 40 ratios in CSF and serum were significantly reduced from 12 and 16 months of age, respectively. The initial reduction of these biomarkers coincided with cerebral A beta pathology, in which a more widespread A beta plaque burden and increased levels of A beta 42 in the brain were observed from approximately 12 months of age. Accordingly, in the whole study population, A beta 42/A beta 40 ratios in CSF and serum showed a negative hyperbolic association with cerebral A beta plaque burden as well as the levels of both soluble and insoluble A beta 42 in the brain. These associations tended to be stronger for the measures in CSF compared with serum. In contrast, no alterations in the investigated fluid biomarkers or apparent cerebral A beta plaque pathology were found in App(NL/NL) knock-in mice during the observation time.ConclusionsOur findings suggest a temporal sequence of events in App(NL-F/NL-F) knock-in mice, in which initial deposition of A beta aggregates in the brain is followed by a decline of the A beta 42/A beta 40 ratio in CSF and serum once the cerebral A beta pathology becomes significant. Our results also indicate that the investigated biomarkers were somewhat more strongly associated with measures of cerebral A beta pathology when assessed in CSF compared with serum.
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| 7. |
- Andersson, Emelie, et al.
(författare)
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Cerebral Aβ deposition precedes reduced cerebrospinal fluid and serum Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios in the App NL−F/NL−F knock-in mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease
- 2023
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Ingår i: Alzheimer's Research and Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood are reduced in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but their temporal and correlative relationship with cerebral Aβ pathology at this early disease stage is not well understood. In the present study, we aim to investigate such relationships using App knock-in mouse models of preclinical AD. Methods: CSF, serum, and brain tissue were collected from 3- to 18-month-old AppNL−F/NL−F knock-in mice (n = 48) and 2–18-month-old AppNL/NL knock-in mice (n = 35). The concentrations of Aβ42 and Aβ40 in CSF and serum were measured using Single molecule array (Simoa) immunoassays. Cerebral Aβ plaque burden was assessed in brain tissue sections by immunohistochemistry and thioflavin S staining. Furthermore, the concentrations of Aβ42 in soluble and insoluble fractions prepared from cortical tissue homogenates were measured using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Results: In AppNL−F/NL−F knock-in mice, Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios in CSF and serum were significantly reduced from 12 and 16 months of age, respectively. The initial reduction of these biomarkers coincided with cerebral Aβ pathology, in which a more widespread Aβ plaque burden and increased levels of Aβ42 in the brain were observed from approximately 12 months of age. Accordingly, in the whole study population, Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios in CSF and serum showed a negative hyperbolic association with cerebral Aβ plaque burden as well as the levels of both soluble and insoluble Aβ42 in the brain. These associations tended to be stronger for the measures in CSF compared with serum. In contrast, no alterations in the investigated fluid biomarkers or apparent cerebral Aβ plaque pathology were found in AppNL/NL knock-in mice during the observation time. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a temporal sequence of events in AppNL−F/NL−F knock-in mice, in which initial deposition of Aβ aggregates in the brain is followed by a decline of the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio in CSF and serum once the cerebral Aβ pathology becomes significant. Our results also indicate that the investigated biomarkers were somewhat more strongly associated with measures of cerebral Aβ pathology when assessed in CSF compared with serum.
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| 8. |
- Arvidsson, Ida, et al.
(författare)
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Comparing a pre-defined versus deep learning approach for extracting brain atrophy patterns to predict cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease in patients with mild cognitive symptoms
- 2024
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Ingår i: Alzheimer's Research and Therapy. - 1758-9193. ; 16:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Predicting future Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related cognitive decline among individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an important task for healthcare. Structural brain imaging as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could potentially contribute when making such predictions. It is unclear if the predictive performance of MRI can be improved using entire brain images in deep learning (DL) models compared to using pre-defined brain regions. Methods: A cohort of 332 individuals with SCD/MCI were included from the Swedish BioFINDER-1 study. The goal was to predict longitudinal SCD/MCI-to-AD dementia progression and change in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) over four years. Four models were evaluated using different predictors: (1) clinical data only, including demographics, cognitive tests and APOE ε4 status, (2) clinical data plus hippocampal volume, (3) clinical data plus all regional MRI gray matter volumes (N = 68) extracted using FreeSurfer software, (4) a DL model trained using multi-task learning with MRI images, Jacobian determinant images and baseline cognition as input. A double cross-validation scheme, with five test folds and for each of those ten validation folds, was used. External evaluation was performed on part of the ADNI dataset, including 108 patients. Mann-Whitney U-test was used to determine statistically significant differences in performance, with p-values less than 0.05 considered significant. Results: In the BioFINDER cohort, 109 patients (33%) progressed to AD dementia. The performance of the clinical data model for prediction of progression to AD dementia was area under the curve (AUC) = 0.85 and four-year cognitive decline was R2 = 0.14. The performance was improved for both outcomes when adding hippocampal volume (AUC = 0.86, R2 = 0.16). Adding FreeSurfer brain regions improved prediction of four-year cognitive decline but not progression to AD (AUC = 0.83, R2 = 0.17), while the DL model worsened the performance for both outcomes (AUC = 0.84, R2 = 0.08). A sensitivity analysis showed that the Jacobian determinant image was more informative than the MRI image, but that performance was maximized when both were included. In the external evaluation cohort from ADNI, 23 patients (21%) progressed to AD dementia. The results for predicted progression to AD dementia were similar to the results for the BioFINDER test data, while the performance for the cognitive decline was deteriorated. Conclusions: The DL model did not significantly improve the prediction of clinical disease progression in AD, compared to regression models with a single pre-defined brain region.
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| 9. |
- Arvidsson Rådestig, Maya, et al.
(författare)
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Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of axonal and synaptic degeneration in a population-based sample
- 2023
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Ingår i: Alzheimers Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundNeurofilament light (NfL) and neurogranin (Ng) are promising candidate AD biomarkers, reflecting axonal and synaptic damage, respectively. Since there is a need to understand the synaptic and axonal damage in preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD), we aimed to determine the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of NfL and Ng in cognitively unimpaired elderly from the Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Studies classified according to the amyloid/tau/neurodegeneration (A/T/N) system.MethodsThe sample consisted of 258 cognitively unimpaired older adults (age 70, 129 women and 129 men) from the Gothenburg Birth Cohort Studies. We compared CSF NfL and Ng concentrations in A/T/N groups using Student's T-test and ANCOVA.ResultsCSF NfL concentration was higher in the A-T-N+ group (p=0.001) and the A-T+N+ group (p=0.006) compared with A-T-N-. CSF Ng concentration was higher in the A-T-N+, A-T+N+, A+T-N+, and A+T+N+ groups (p<0.0001) compared with A-T-N-. We found no difference in NfL or Ng concentration in A+ compared with A- (disregarding T- and N- status), whereas those with N+ had higher concentrations of NfL and Ng compared with N- (p<0.0001) (disregarding A- and T- status).ConclusionsCSF NfL and Ng concentrations are increased in cognitively normal older adults with biomarker evidence of tau pathology and neurodegeneration.
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| 10. |
- Ashraf, A., et al.
(författare)
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Plasma transferrin and hemopexin are associated with altered A beta uptake and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease pathology
- 2020
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Ingår i: Alzheimers Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 12:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Heme and iron homeostasis is perturbed in Alzheimer's disease (AD); therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the levels and association of heme with iron-binding plasma proteins in cognitively normal (CN), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD individuals from the Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle Flagship Study of Ageing (AIBL) and Kerr Anglican Retirement Village Initiative in Ageing Health (KARVIAH) cohorts. Methods Non-targeted proteomic analysis by high-resolution mass spectrometry was performed to quantify relative protein abundances in plasma samples from 144 CN individuals from the AIBL and 94 CN from KARVIAH cohorts and 21 MCI and 25 AD from AIBL cohort. ANCOVA models were utilized to assess the differences in plasma proteins implicated in heme/iron metabolism, while multiple regression modeling (and partial correlation) was performed to examine the association between heme and iron proteins, structural neuroimaging, and cognitive measures. Results Of the plasma proteins implicated in iron and heme metabolism, hemoglobin subunit beta (p = 0.001) was significantly increased in AD compared to CN individuals. Multiple regression modeling adjusted for age, sex, APOE epsilon 4 genotype, and disease status in the AIBL cohort revealed lower levels of transferrin but higher levels of hemopexin associated with augmented brain amyloid deposition. Meanwhile, transferrin was positively associated with hippocampal volume and MMSE performance, and hemopexin was negatively associated with CDR scores. Partial correlation analysis revealed lack of significant associations between heme/iron proteins in the CN individuals progressing to cognitive impairment. Conclusions In conclusion, heme and iron dyshomeostasis appears to be a feature of AD. The causal relationship between heme/iron metabolism and AD warrants further investigation.
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