Publications by authors named "Julie L Maclsaac"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how fine particulate matter (PM) may contribute to Alzheimer's disease (AD) through changes in DNA methylation (DNAm) in the brain, focusing on prefrontal cortex tissue from 159 donors.
- Researchers identified specific CpG sites (cg25433380 and cg10495669) where DNAm differed significantly due to PM exposure, and they found 24 additional sites mediating the relationship between PM and AD-related neuropathological markers.
- The findings highlight the role of neuroinflammation-related DNAm changes in linking traffic-related PM to Alzheimer's disease, marking this as a pioneering study in understanding how air pollution impacts brain health.
Introduction: Growing evidence indicates fine particulate matter (PM) as risk factor for Alzheimer's' disease (AD), but the underlying mechanisms have been insufficiently investigated. We hypothesized differential DNA methylation (DNAm) in brain tissue as potential mediator of this association.
Methods: We assessed genome-wide DNAm (Illumina EPIC BeadChips) in prefrontal cortex tissue and three AD-related neuropathological markers (Braak stage, CERAD, ABC score) for 159 donors, and estimated donors' residential traffic-related PM exposure 1, 3 and 5 years prior to death.