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Dried Blood Spot Collection of Health Biomarkers to Maximize Participation in Population Studies
Published on: January 28, 2014
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Biomarkers
James Groves1, Hamilton Se-Hwee Oh2, Amelia Farinas2,3
1Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Alzheimer'S & Dementia : the Journal of the Alzheimer'S Association
|December 24, 2025
Summary
Accelerated brain ageing in individuals
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience and Aging Research
- Proteomics and Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Aging is the primary risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), but underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear.
- This study investigates proteomic brain aging trajectories in an identically aged cohort to understand the link with AD pathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To track proteomic brain aging trajectories across the seventh decade of life.
- To associate these aging trajectories with Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers.
- To identify specific proteins influencing the relationship between brain aging and AD.
Main Methods:
- Utilized SomaScan proteomic data from the 1946 British Birth Cohort (n=414) at two time points.
- Estimated 'brain age gap' (BAG) using a proteomic clock and calculated 'BAG change score' to reflect aging trajectory.
- Assessed primary outcomes including amyloid-PET positivity and plasma p-tau217, with secondary outcomes in CSF biomarkers.
Main Results:
- Observed heterogeneous brain aging trajectories, with 'BAG change score' ranging from -21.3 to 17.3 years.
- Accelerating brain aging (higher BAG change score) significantly predicted amyloid-PET positivity and elevated p-tau217 levels (plasma and CSF).
- Associations remained significant after adjusting for APOE4 status and other neurodegeneration markers; identified key proteins like Aldolase C, NPTXR, and LRRTM2.
Conclusions:
- Heterogeneous proteomic brain aging trajectories exist even in identically aged individuals.
- Accelerating brain aging is a significant predictor of AD biomarker positivity, independent of genetic risk.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the role of identified proteins in linking brain aging to AD pathology.
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