Association of plasma biomarkers with cognition, cognitive decline, and daily function across and within neurodegenerative diseases: Results

Association of plasma biomarkers with cognition, cognitive decline, and daily function across and within neurodegenerative diseases: Results from the Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative.

Sanchez E, Wilkinson T, Coughlan G, Mirza S, Baril AA, Ramirez J, Binns MA, Black SE, Borrie M, Dilliott AA, Dixon RA, Dowlatshahi D, Farhan S, Finger E, Fischer CE, Frank A, Freedman M, Goncalves RA, Grimes DA, Hassan A, Hegele RA, Kumar S, Lang AE, Marras C, McLaughlin PM, Orange JB, Pasternak SH, Pollock BG, Rajji TK, Roberts AC, Robinson JF, Rogaeva E, Sahlas DJ, Saposnik G, Strong MJ, Swartz RH, Tang-Wai DF, Tartaglia MC, Troyer AK, Kvartsberg H, Zetterberg H, Munoz DP, ONDRI Investigators, Masellis M.

Alzheimers Dement · 2023-12-17

Research overview

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IntroductionWe investigated whether novel plasma biomarkers are associated with cognition, cognitive decline, and functional independence in activities of daily living across and within neurodegenerative diseases.MethodsGlial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NfL), phosphorylated tau (p-tau)181 and amyloid beta (Aβ)42/40 were measured using ultra-sensitive Simoa immunoassays in 44 healthy controls and 480 participants diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease/mild cognitive impairment (AD/MCI), Parkinson's disease (PD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) spectrum disorders, or cerebrovascular disease (CVD).ResultsGFAP, NfL, and/or p-tau181 were elevated among all diseases compared to controls, and were broadly associated with worse baseline cognitive performance, greater cognitive decline, and/or lower functional independence. While GFAP, NfL, and p-tau181 were highly predictive across diseases, p-tau181 was more specific to the AD/MCI cohort. Sparse associations were found in the FTD and CVD cohorts and for Aβ42/40 .DiscussionGFAP, NfL, and p-tau181 are valuable predictors of cognition and function across common neurodegenerative diseases, and may be useful in specialized clinics and clinical trials.

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