Biomarkers

Ageing is the strongest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the molecular mechanisms underpinning this link are not established. In an identically aged birth cohort, we: 1) tracked proteomic brain ageing trajectories across the seventh decade; 2) tested associations between ageing trajectories and AD pathology; 3) identified which individual proteins influenced associations.

n = 414 from the 1946 British Birth Cohort had plasma assayed with SomaScan 11k v5 at baseline (age=63.4±1.1yr) and follow-up (70.6±0.7yr). Brain age was estimated from a proteomic clock using 202 brain-enriched proteins. 'Brain age gap' (BAG) quantified whether a participant's brain age estimate was older (positive) or younger (negative) than their chronological age. 'BAG change score' [ (BAG at follow-up) - (BAG at baseline) ], reflected accelerating (positive) or decelerating (negative) trajectory. Primary outcomes were amyloid-PET positivity (CL cut-point=11.9) and log-transformed plasma p-tau217 (ALZpath SIMOA). Secondary outcomes in a subset (n = 114, 72.9±0.59yr) were log-transformed CSF p-tau217 and Aβ42/40 ratio. We used linear/logistic regression for continuous/binary outcomes, adjusted for sex. Individual protein analysis used Feature Importance for Biological Ageing (FIBA).

BAG at baseline ranged from -9.1 to +17.6yrs. Even greater divergence was seen at follow-up (range: -16.93, 19.16 years). Whilst measurements were correlated (r=0.59), we observed heterogenous brain ageing trajectories across the seventh decade (BAG change score range: -21.3 to 17.3 years, Figure 1). Baseline BAG did not predict biomarker outcomes some ∼10yr later. BAG at follow-up associated with higher plasma p-tau217 (b=0.18, p = 1.4x10^-4) but not amyloid-PET status. Higher BAG change score (i.e., accelerating brain ageing) was associated with amyloid-PET positivity (OR 1.89, p = 6.4x10^-3, Figure 2), higher plasma p-tau217 (b=0.26, p = 6.2x10^-4), higher CSF p-tau217 (b=0.30, p = 9.5x10^-3) and lower CSF Aβ 42/40 ratio (b=-0.35, p = 2.2 x10^-3). Associations remained significant adjusting for APOE₄ status, plasma neurofilament light and GFAP. Influential proteins in associations included Aldolase C, NPTXR and LRRTM2 (Figure 3).

An identically-aged population experienced heterogenous trajectories of proteomic brain ageing across their seventh decade. Accelerating brain ageing was predictive of AD biomarker positivity, independent of non-specific measures of neurodegeneration and genetic risk. Future research will explore how implicated proteins may couple brain ageing to AD pathology.