Identifying biomarkers of dementia prevalent among amnestic mild cognitively impaired ethnic female patients

Abstract

BackgroundThere is a need to investigate biomarkers that are indicative of the progression of dementia in ethnic patient populations. The disparity of information in these populations has been the focus of many clinical and academic centers, including ours, to contribute to a higher success rate in clinical trials. In this study, we have investigated plasma biomarkers in amnestic mild cognitively impaired (aMCI) female patient cohorts in the context of ethnicity and cognitive status.MethodA panel of 12 biomarkers involved in the progression of brain pathology, inflammation, and cardiovascular disorders were investigated in female cohorts of African American, Hispanic, and White aMCI patients. Both biochemical and algorithmic analyses were applied to correlate biomarker levels measured during the early stages of the disease for each ethnicity.ResultsWe report elevated plasma Aβ40, Aβ42, YKL-40, and cystatin C levels in the Hispanic cohort at early aMCI status. In addition, elevated plasma Aβ40 levels were associated with the aMCI status in both White and African American patient cohorts by the decision tree algorithm. Eotaxin-1 levels, as determined by the decision tree algorithm and biochemically measured total tau levels, were associated with the aMCI status in the African American cohort.ConclusionsOverall, our data displayed novel differences in the plasma biomarkers of the aMCI female cohorts where the plasma levels of several biomarkers distinguished between each ethnicity at an early aMCI stage. Identification of these plasma biomarkers encourages new areas of investigation among aMCI ethnic populations, including larger patient cohorts and longitudinal study designs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13195-016-0211-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Diagnostic Utility of Selected Serum Dementia Biomarkers: Amyloid β-40, Amyloid β-42, Tau Protein, and YKL-40: A Review

“…Studies by Craig-Schapiro et al [45], Choi et al [124], and Grewal et al [93] have given hope for its use in diagnostics of early stage dementias (MCI and mild stage AD). Less promising results were acquired by Villar-Pique et al [126].…”

“…Statistically significant concentration differences of YKL-40 among subgroups were identified only in the Latin American group. In addition, other measured biomarkers showed the differences of sensitivity among ethnic groups [93]. Amnestic type MCI is a state highly predisposing to AD, contrary to non-amnestic types which are the bases for developing other dementias.…”

Transcript levels in plasma contribute substantial predictive value as potential Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in African Americans

“…A few studies have evaluated in an AA cohort the use of plasma proteins or metabolites as a fluid biomarker for AD, but none of these have evaluated plasma cf-mRNAs. 9 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 Future studies should systematically evaluate the biomarker potential of all transcripts detectable in plasma in diverse populations and incorporate these plasma cf-RNAs into a biomarker panel along with plasma levels of proteins and metabolites that have been shown to effectively discriminate AD from CU and other types of dementias, such as Aß42/Aß40 ratio and p-tau, in order to achieve greater discriminatory potential and add theragnostic value.…”

Characterizing Plasma Biomarkers of Alzheimer's in a Diverse Community-Based Cohort: A Cross-Sectional Study of the HAB-HD Cohort

“…A Washington Heights and Inwood Community Aging project community-based study of plasma biomarkers found no significant differences across Hispanic, Black, and NHWs in concentrations of t tau, Aβ 40 , Aβ 42 , or NfL ( 24 ). Gerwal et al ( 25 ) in a small study of women ( N = 15 in each group) with MCI reported higher levels of Aβ 40 and Aβ 42 in Hispanic women compared to AA and NHW women. A study of plasma biomarkers in AAs including tau and Aβ 42 comparing cognitively unimpaired individuals with Alzheimer's patients found that tau was significantly higher in the AD group and Aβ 42 level was not associated with Alzheimer's ( 26 ).…”