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Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association
Published

CSF glial biomarkers are associated with cognition in individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease

Authors

Noëlle Warmenhoven, Gonzalo Sánchez-Benavides, Armand González-Escalante, Marta Milà-Alomà, Mahnaz Shekari, David López-Martos, Paula Ortiz-Romero, Gwendlyn Kollmorgen, Clara Quijano-Rubio, Carolina Minguillón, Juan Domingo Gispert, Natalia Vilor-Tejedor, Eider Arenaza-Urquijo, Eleni Palpatzis, Nicholas J Ashton, Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow, Marc Suárez-Calvet, Oriol Grau-Rivera, ALFA Study

Abstract

Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Jul 19. doi: 10.1002/alz.13862. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: We examined whether baseline glial markers soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 2 (sTREM2), chitinase 3-like protein 1 (YKL-40), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and plasma GFAP are associated with cognitive change in cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODS: A total of 353 CU (mean age 60.9 years) participants were included (mean follow-up time 3.28 years). Linear regression models with cognition as outcome were used. We also tested whether amyloid beta (Aβ) status modified these associations.

RESULTS: Higher baseline CSF sTREM2 was associated with a positive global cognition (Preclinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite) rate of change, and better memory and executive outcomes, independently of AD pathology. Higher baseline plasma GFAP was associated with a decline on attention rate of change. Stratified analyses by Aβ status showed that CSF sTREM2 and YKL-40 were positively associated with executive functioning in amyloid negative (Aβ-) individuals.

DISCUSSION: Our results suggest that a TREM2-mediated microglial response may be associated with better longitudinal cognitive performance.

HIGHLIGHTS: Higher cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 2 (sTREM2) relates to better longitudinal cognitive performance. The association between CSF sTREM2 and cognition is independent of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Targeting microglial reactivity may be a therapeutic strategy for AD prevention.

PMID:39032119 | DOI:10.1002/alz.13862

UK DRI Authors

Profile picture of Henrik Zetterberg

Prof Henrik Zetterberg

Group Leader

Pioneering the development of fluid biomarkers for dementia

Prof Henrik Zetterberg