Analysis and interpretation of inflammatory fluid markers in Alzheimer’s disease: a roadmap for standardization
Abstract Growing interest in the role of the immune response in Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) has led to widespread use of fluid inflammatory markers in research studies. To standardize the use and interpretation of inflammatory markers in AD research, we build upon prior guidelin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Neuroinflammation |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-025-03432-4 |
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| author | Brianne M. Bettcher Fabricio Ferreira de Oliveira Auriel A. Willette Malgorzata M. Michalowska Luiza Santos Machado Binita Rajbanshi Wyllians V. Borelli Malú Gámez Tansey Andréia Rocha Vidyani Suryadevara William T. Hu |
| author_facet | Brianne M. Bettcher Fabricio Ferreira de Oliveira Auriel A. Willette Malgorzata M. Michalowska Luiza Santos Machado Binita Rajbanshi Wyllians V. Borelli Malú Gámez Tansey Andréia Rocha Vidyani Suryadevara William T. Hu |
| author_sort | Brianne M. Bettcher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Growing interest in the role of the immune response in Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) has led to widespread use of fluid inflammatory markers in research studies. To standardize the use and interpretation of inflammatory markers in AD research, we build upon prior guidelines to develop consensus statements and recommendations to advance application and interpretation of these markers. In this roadmap paper, we propose a glossary of terms related to the immune response in the context of biomarker discovery/validation, discuss current conceptualizations of inflammatory markers in research, and recommend best practices to address key knowledge gaps. We also provide consensus principles to summarize primary conceptual, methodological, and interpretative issues facing the field: (1) a single inflammatory marker is likely insufficient to describe an entire biological cascade, and multiple markers with similar or distinct functions should be simultaneously measured in a panel; (2) association studies in humans are insufficient to infer causal relationships or mechanisms; (3) neuroinflammation displays time-dependent and disease context-dependent patterns; (4) neuroinflammatory mechanisms should not be inferred based solely on blood inflammatory marker changes; and (5) standardized reporting of CSF inflammatory marker assay validation and performance will improve incorporation of inflammatory markers into the biological AD criteria. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4ea51d618a7e435b8616c1e5fe2294ba |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1742-2094 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Neuroinflammation |
| spelling | doaj-art-4ea51d618a7e435b8616c1e5fe2294ba2025-08-20T02:28:10ZengBMCJournal of Neuroinflammation1742-20942025-04-0122111510.1186/s12974-025-03432-4Analysis and interpretation of inflammatory fluid markers in Alzheimer’s disease: a roadmap for standardizationBrianne M. Bettcher0Fabricio Ferreira de Oliveira1Auriel A. Willette2Malgorzata M. Michalowska3Luiza Santos Machado4Binita Rajbanshi5Wyllians V. Borelli6Malú Gámez Tansey7Andréia Rocha8Vidyani Suryadevara9William T. Hu10Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusEscola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São PauloDepartment of Neurology, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Center for Healthy Aging Research, Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers HealthDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of GothenburgDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of GothenburgDepartment of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California – San FranciscoDepartment of Morphological Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulDepartment of Neurology, Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of MedicineDepartment of Psychiatry, University of PittsburghDepartment of Radiology, Stanford UniversityDepartment of Neurology, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Center for Healthy Aging Research, Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers HealthAbstract Growing interest in the role of the immune response in Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) has led to widespread use of fluid inflammatory markers in research studies. To standardize the use and interpretation of inflammatory markers in AD research, we build upon prior guidelines to develop consensus statements and recommendations to advance application and interpretation of these markers. In this roadmap paper, we propose a glossary of terms related to the immune response in the context of biomarker discovery/validation, discuss current conceptualizations of inflammatory markers in research, and recommend best practices to address key knowledge gaps. We also provide consensus principles to summarize primary conceptual, methodological, and interpretative issues facing the field: (1) a single inflammatory marker is likely insufficient to describe an entire biological cascade, and multiple markers with similar or distinct functions should be simultaneously measured in a panel; (2) association studies in humans are insufficient to infer causal relationships or mechanisms; (3) neuroinflammation displays time-dependent and disease context-dependent patterns; (4) neuroinflammatory mechanisms should not be inferred based solely on blood inflammatory marker changes; and (5) standardized reporting of CSF inflammatory marker assay validation and performance will improve incorporation of inflammatory markers into the biological AD criteria.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-025-03432-4InflammationInflammatory markersAlzheimer’s diseaseBiomarkersImmune |
| spellingShingle | Brianne M. Bettcher Fabricio Ferreira de Oliveira Auriel A. Willette Malgorzata M. Michalowska Luiza Santos Machado Binita Rajbanshi Wyllians V. Borelli Malú Gámez Tansey Andréia Rocha Vidyani Suryadevara William T. Hu Analysis and interpretation of inflammatory fluid markers in Alzheimer’s disease: a roadmap for standardization Journal of Neuroinflammation Inflammation Inflammatory markers Alzheimer’s disease Biomarkers Immune |
| title | Analysis and interpretation of inflammatory fluid markers in Alzheimer’s disease: a roadmap for standardization |
| title_full | Analysis and interpretation of inflammatory fluid markers in Alzheimer’s disease: a roadmap for standardization |
| title_fullStr | Analysis and interpretation of inflammatory fluid markers in Alzheimer’s disease: a roadmap for standardization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analysis and interpretation of inflammatory fluid markers in Alzheimer’s disease: a roadmap for standardization |
| title_short | Analysis and interpretation of inflammatory fluid markers in Alzheimer’s disease: a roadmap for standardization |
| title_sort | analysis and interpretation of inflammatory fluid markers in alzheimer s disease a roadmap for standardization |
| topic | Inflammation Inflammatory markers Alzheimer’s disease Biomarkers Immune |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-025-03432-4 |
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