A correlational stydy between serum cytokine measures, volumetric MR measures and global cognitive changes in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Earlier detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) would permit earlier intervention, which conceivably could delay progression of this dementing disorder. In order to accomplish this goal, reliable and speci c biomarkers are needed. Unfortunately, there is no yet such a universally accepted biomarker. In this study, we aimed to analyze the association between volumetric MR measurements and possible AD related serum cytokine biomarkers and to determine biological and clinical predictors for patients at high risk to develop AD. 28 AD patients and 16 healthy controls were participated to the study. For this study biochemical markers (IL-1 , IL-1 , IL-10, TNF- ) which were considered to play a pivotal role in the in ammation process during AD were chosen. Additionally, volumetric MR measurements were done to determine atrophic regions in the brain of AD patients. For this purpose, a fully automated software (FreeSurfer) was used. First of all, our ELISA measurements indicated that patients with AD produce increased quantities of pro-in ammatory cytokines (IL-1 and TNF- ) than normal subjects and these results supporting the hypothesis that a pro-in ammatory phenotype contributes to AD. ROC curve analysis showed that IL-1 and TNF- serum levels could not be used as a diagnostic test tool. However, serum IL-1 level might be a better candidate to make a better diagnostic decision. Secondly, regression analysis revealed that serum IL-1 level had a signi cant linear relation with the volume changes of cerebral white matter and amygdala/hippocampus. Additionally, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was used as a scale of AD severity. Regression analysis emphasized that serum cytokine levels did not have a signi cant relation with the severity of cognitive impairment.|Keywords: Alzheimer's Disease, Biomarker, Serum, In ammation, IL-1alpha , IL-1beta , IL- 10, TNF-alpha , Volumetric MR, FreeSurfer, Mini-Mental State Examination