The pathway leading from amyloid-β deposition to cognitive impairment is believed to be a cornerstone of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, what drives amyloid buildup in sporadic nongenetic cases of AD is still unknown. AD brains feature an inflammatory reaction around amyloid plaques, and a specific subset of the gut microbiota (GMB) may promote brain inflammation. We investigated the possible role of the GMB in AD pathogenesis by studying the association of brain amyloidosis with (1) GMB taxa with pro- and anti-inflammatory activity; and (2) peripheral inflammation in cognitively impaired patients. We measured the stool abundance of selected bacterial GMB taxa (Escherichia/Shigella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Eubacterium rectale, Eubacterium hallii, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Bacteroides fragilis) and the blood expression levels of cytokines (pro-inflammatory cytokines: CXCL2, CXCL10, interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, IL-18, IL-8, inflammasome complex (NLRP3), tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α]; anti-inflammatory cytokines: IL-4, IL-10, IL-13) in cognitively impaired patients with (n = 40, Amy+) and with no brain amyloidosis (n = 33, Amy-) and also in a group of controls (n = 10, no brain amyloidosis and no cognitive impairment). Amy+ patients showed higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, CXCL2, NLRP3, and IL-1β) compared with both controls and with Amy- patients. A reduction of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was observed in Amy+ versus Amy-. Amy+ showed lower abundance of E. rectale and higher abundance of Escherichia/Shigella compared with both healthy controls (fold change, FC = -9.6, p < 0.001 and FC = +12.8, p < 0.001, respectively) and to Amy- (FC = -7.7, p < 0.001 and FC = +7.4, p = 0.003). A positive correlation was observed between pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, NLRP3, and CXCL2 with abundance of the inflammatory bacteria taxon Escherichia/Shigella (rho = 0.60, p < 0.001; rho = 0.57, p < 0.001; and rho = 0.30, p = 0.007, respectively) and a negative correlation with the anti-inflammatory E. rectale (rho = -0.48, p < 0.001; rho = -0.25, p = 0.024; rho = -0.49, p < 0.001). Our data indicate that an increase in the abundance of a pro-inflammatory GMB taxon, Escherichia/Shigella, and a reduction in the abundance of an anti-inflammatory taxon, E. rectale, are possibly associated with a peripheral inflammatory state in patients with cognitive impairment and brain amyloidosis. A possible causal relation between GMB-related inflammation and amyloidosis deserves further investigation.

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In AD, the observed patterns of WM abnormalities may reflect the advanced phase of a secondary degenerative process and an association, especially in the early phases of the disease, with primary WM tract damage over and above GM abnormalities.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate predictors of progressive cognitive deterioration in patients with suspected non-Alzheimer disease pathology (SNAP) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods:We measured markers of amyloid pathology (CSF b-amyloid 42) and neurodegeneration (hippocampal volume on MRI and cortical metabolism on [18 F]-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET) in 201 patients with MCI clinically followed for up to 6 years to detect progressive cognitive deterioration. We categorized patients with MCI as A1/A2 and N1/N2 based on presence/absence of amyloid pathology and neurodegeneration. SNAPs were A2N1 cases.Results: The proportion of progressors was 11% (8/41), 34% (14/41), 56% (19/34), and 71%(60/85) in A2N2, A1N2, SNAP, and A1N1, respectively; the proportion of APOE e4 carriers was 29%, 70%, 31%, and 71%, respectively, with the SNAP group featuring a significantly different proportion than both A1N2 and A1N1 groups (p # 0.005). Hypometabolism in SNAP patients was comparable to A1N1 patients (p 5 0.154), while hippocampal atrophy was more severe in SNAP patients (p 5 0.002). Compared with A2N2, SNAP and A1N1 patients had significant risk of progressive cognitive deterioration (hazard ratio 5 2.7 and 3.8, p 5 0.016 and p , 0.001), while A1N2 patients did not (hazard ratio 5 1.13, p 5 0.771). In A1N2 and A1N1 groups, none of the biomarkers predicted time to progression. In the SNAP group, lower time to progression was correlated with greater hypometabolism (r 5 0.42, p 5 0.073). The amyloid cascade hypothesis 1,2 has so far dominated the Alzheimer disease (AD) field. Jack et al. Conclusions:3,4 proposed a dynamic model that relates disease stage to the best established biomarkers of AD pathology. Based on this, a National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association task force developed recommendations for the diagnosis of preclinical AD based on biomarkers of amyloidosis and neuronal injury.5 Soon afterward, these criteria were operationalized and a