Disease-specific adaptive immune biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease and related pathologies

Identification of disease-specific diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers allowing for an early characterization and accurate clinical follow-up of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients is a major clinical objective. Increasing evidences implicate both humoral and cellular adaptive immune responses in the pathophysiology of AD. Such disease-related B- and T-cell responses constitute a promising source of potential specific early biomarkers. Among them, levels of anti-Aβ antibodies in the serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid of patients may correlate with AD progression, clinical presentation of the disease, and occurrence of associated pathologies related to cerebral amyloid angiopathy. In the same line, Aβ-specific T cell responses and immune regulatory populations implicated in their modulation appear to play a role in the pathophysiology of AD and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Further characterization of both autoantibodies and T cell responses specific for disease-related proteins, i.e. Aβ and hyperphosphorylated Tau, will allow better deciphering their interest as early diagnostic and prognostic markers in AD. Biomarkers of adaptive immune responses specific for other pathological proteins may also apply to other neurological disorders associated with abnormal protein deposition.