A Risk Variant rs6922617 in TREM Is Discrepantly Associated With Defining Neuropathological Hallmarks in the Alzheimer's Continuum.

The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-rs6922617 in the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM) gene cluster is a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we examined whether rs6922617 is associated with AD-defining neuropathological hallmarks and memory performance. We assessed the interaction between the variant rs6922617 and levels of beta-amyloid (Aβ), tau pathology, neurodegeneration, namely amyloid-tau-neurodegeneration framework, and cognition functions in 660 healthy controls, 794 mild cognitively impaired, and 272 subjects with AD.

Amyloid-β but not tau accumulation is strongly associated with longitudinal cognitive decline.

Objective: Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology is featured by the extracellular accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and intracellular tau neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. We studied whether Aβ and tau accumulation are independently associated with future cognitive decline in the AD continuum.

Methods: Data were acquired from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) public database.