Circulating Plasma Metabolites and Cognitive Function in a Puerto Rican Cohort

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Metabolomics
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Minority populations, including Puerto Ricans, experience disproportionately higher rates of Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia, and cognitive decline.
• Investigating blood metabolomics in this demographic offers a pathway to understand the biological basis of these health disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive analysis of circulating plasma metabolites in relation to cognitive function.
• To identify potential biomarkers for cognitive function in a specific minority cohort.

Main Methods:

• Utilized untargeted mass-spectrometry based metabolomics on plasma samples from 736 participants in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS).
• Employed multivariable regression and LASSO machine learning to identify metabolites associated with global cognitive function, adjusting for key covariates.
• Performed sensitivity analyses, including stratification by diabetes status and Mediterranean diet adherence.

Main Results:

• Identified 13 metabolites (3 positive, 10 negative associations) related to cognitive function after FDR correction.
• Consistently found associations between higher beta-cryptoxanthin levels and better cognitive function.
• Consistently found associations between higher N-acetylisoleucine and tyramine O-sulfate levels and worse cognitive function.

Conclusions:

• This untargeted metabolomics study successfully identified potential biomarkers for cognitive function.
• The findings highlight specific metabolites that may serve as indicators or targets for cognitive health interventions in older Puerto Rican adults.