Differential effects of neurodegeneration biomarkers on subclinical cognitive decline

Abstract Introduction Neurodegeneration appears to be the biological mechanism most proximate to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. We test whether t‐tau and alternative biomarkers of neurodegeneration—neurogranin and neurofilament light protein (NFL)—add value in predicting subclinical...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Andrew P. Merluzzi, Nicholas M. Vogt, Derek Norton, Erin Jonaitis, Lindsay R. Clark, Cynthia M. Carlsson, Sterling C. Johnson, Sanjay Asthana, Kaj Blennow, Henrik Zetterberg, Barbara B. Bendlin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2019-01-01
Series:Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trci.2019.02.004
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Introduction Neurodegeneration appears to be the biological mechanism most proximate to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. We test whether t‐tau and alternative biomarkers of neurodegeneration—neurogranin and neurofilament light protein (NFL)—add value in predicting subclinical cognitive decline. Methods One hundred fifty cognitively unimpaired participants received a lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid and at least two neuropsychological examinations (mean age at first visit = 59.3 ± 6.3 years; 67% female). Linear mixed effects models were used with cognitive composite scores as outcomes. Neurodegeneration interactions terms were the primary predictors of interest: age × NFL or age × neurogranin or age × t‐tau. Models were compared using likelihood ratio tests. Results Age × NFL accounted for a significant amount of variation in longitudinal change on preclinical Alzheimer's cognitive composite scores, memory composite scores, and learning scores, whereas age × neurogranin and age × t‐tau did not. Discussion These data suggest that NFL may be more sensitive to subclinical cognitive decline compared to other proposed biomarkers for neurodegeneration.
ISSN:2352-8737