Biomarkers

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Immunology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD) diagnosis can be challenging, especially differentiating it from other neurodegenerative diseases.
• Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers are established but invasive; exploring plasma-based markers is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate plasma inflammation biomarkers in ADD and other neurodegenerative dementias (NonADD).
• To assess the association between plasma inflammation markers and CSF Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.
• To evaluate the diagnostic and differential diagnostic value of plasma inflammation markers for ADD.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 245 and 328 participants from two cohorts, including controls, ADD, and NonADD groups.
• Measurement of CSF biomarkers (Aβ42, ptau181, ttau) and plasma inflammatory markers (neutrophil, lymphocyte, platelet counts, CRP, Albumin).
• Statistical analysis to determine prediction performance and correlations.

Main Results:

• A combination of CSF biomarker ratios, inflammation ratios, and ApoE4 effectively distinguished ADD from controls.
• A specific combination including CSF ratios, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and ApoE4 differentiated ADD from NonADD.
• Plasma inflammation markers, particularly NLR, showed a positive correlation with CSF AD biomarkers in ADD patients.

Conclusions:

• Plasma inflammation biomarkers offer significant added value for the diagnosis of ADD.
• These markers are also valuable in the differential diagnosis of ADD from other neurodegenerative conditions.
• NLR and PLR show promise as accessible indicators linked to AD pathology.