Plasma BDNF levels associate with Pittsburgh compound B binding in the brain.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biochemistry
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is crucial for neuronal health and implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• Amyloid-beta (Aβ) pathology, a hallmark of AD, negatively impacts BDNF function.
• Reduced BDNF levels are observed in AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between plasma BDNF levels and brain amyloid deposition.
• To determine if peripheral BDNF levels correlate with in vivo amyloid burden measured by Positron Emission Tomography (PET).

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-1 (ADNI1) cohort, including subjects with AD, MCI, and normal controls (NC).
• Measured plasma BDNF levels and brain amyloid deposition using [¹¹C]PiB PET imaging.
• Employed linear regression analysis to assess the relationship between BDNF and PiB Standardized Uptake Value Ratio (SUVR), adjusting for age and sex.

Main Results:

• Plasma BDNF levels demonstrated significant negative associations with amyloid burden in multiple brain regions.
• This inverse relationship was more pronounced in the left hemisphere, affecting lateral temporal, inferior parietal, inferior frontal, cingulate, and orbitofrontal cortices.
• The association remained statistically significant after correcting for multiple comparisons (p<0.01).

Conclusions:

• The study confirms the hypothesis that lower plasma BDNF levels are associated with widespread amyloidosis in the brain.
• These findings suggest that plasma BDNF may serve as a potential non-invasive biomarker for detecting and monitoring amyloid pathology in AD and MCI.