Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a highly heritable disease (60%-80%). Amyloid beta (Aβ) 42/40, neurofilament light chain (NfL), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) are plasma biomarkers for AD. Clinical biomarker research would be served by an understanding of the sources of variance in these markers.
Methods: Blood concentrations of Aβ42/40, NfL, and GFAP of twins and their families (monozygotic twins: 1574, dizygotic twins: 1266, other: 3657) were analyzed on the Simoa HD-X. Twin-family models were used to estimate proportional genetic contributions to the variance in biomarker levels.
Results: Heritability estimates were 16% for Aβ42/40, 42% for NfL, and 60% for GFAP. NfL and GFAP were significantly correlated with each other (0.37) but not with Aβ42/40.
Discussion: The heritability of Aβ42/40 (16%) is lower than the heritability of AD, suggesting strong environmental influences on this biomarker. The lack of correlation between NfL/GFAP and Aβ42/40 indicates these markers may be on different biological pathways.
Highlights: Heritability is found for glial fibrillary acidic protein (60%), neurofilament light chain (42%), and amyloid beta (Aβ) 42/40 (16%) plasma levels. Aβ42/40 plasma levels are sensitive to person-specific environmental influences.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/alz.14269 | DOI Listing |
Cell Rep
January 2025
Department of Genetics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA; Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, College of Graduate Health Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA. Electronic address:
Neuraminidase 1 (NEU1) cleaves terminal sialic acids from sialoglycoproteins in endolysosomes and at the plasma membrane. As such, NEU1 regulates immune cells, primarily those of the monocytic lineage. Here, we examine how Neu1 influences microglia by modulating the sialylation of full-length Trem2 (Trem2-FL), a multifunctional receptor that regulates microglial survival, phagocytosis, and cytokine production.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
January 2025
Virginia Center on Aging, College of Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Introduction: The Virginia Memory Project (VMP) is a statewide epidemiological registry for Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) and other neurodegenerative conditions. It aims to support dementia research, policy, and care by leveraging the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) Roadmap.
Methods: To capture comprehensive data, the VMP integrates self-enrollment and automatic enrollment using Virginia's All-Payer Claims Database (APCD).
Brain
January 2025
Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA.
Seizures in people with dementia (PWD) are associated with faster cognitive decline and worse clinical outcomes. However, the relationship between ongoing seizure activity and postmortem neuropathology in PWD remains unexplored. We compared post-mortem findings in PWD with active, remote, and no seizures using multicentre data from 39 Alzheimer's Disease Centres from 2005 to 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrain
January 2025
Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden.
The APOE4 allele is the strongest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). While APOE4 is strongly associated with amyloid-beta (Aβ), its relationship with tau accumulation is less understood. Studies evaluating the role of APOE4 on tau accumulation showed conflicting results, particularly regarding the independence of these associations from Aβ load.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Int Neuropsychol Soc
January 2025
Department of Brain Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
Objective: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are considered diagnostic and prognostic indicators of dementia and are attributable to neurodegenerative processes. Little is known about the prognostic value of early NPS on executive functioning (EF) decline in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). We examined whether baseline NPS predicted the rate of executive function (EF) decline among older adults with ADRD.
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