Background: Accumulating studies have implicated thyroid dysfunction in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Objective: This study aimed to explore the association between thyroid hormone (TH) levels and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for AD continuum among euthyroid subjects.
Methods: In all, 93 clinically euthyroid subjects with a cognitive decline were included in this prospective cross-sectional study and were divided into groups with abnormal AD biomarkers (belonging to the "Alzheimer's continuum"; A+ patients) and those with "normal AD biomarkers" or "non-AD pathological changes" (A-patients), according to the ATN research framework classification for AD. A partial correlation analysis of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) or TH levels with CSF biomarkers was conducted. The predictor for A+ patients was analyzed via binary logistic regressions. Finally, the diagnostic significance of individual biochemical predictors for A+ patients was estimated via receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.
Results: Serum total triiodothyronine (TT3) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) levels were found to affect the levels of CSF amyloid-β (Aβ)42 and the ratios of Aβ42/40. Further, FT3 was found to be a significant predictor for A+ via binary logistic regression modeling. Moreover, FT3 showed a high diagnostic value for A+ in euthyroid subjects.
Conclusion: Even in a clinical euthyroid state, low serum FT3 and TT3 levels appear to be differentially associated with AD-specific CSF changes. These data indicate that serum FT3 is a strong candidate for differential diagnosis between AD continuum and non-AD dementia, which benefits the early diagnosis and effective management of preclinical and clinical AD patients.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; amyloid-β; biomarkers; cerebrospinal fluid; thyroid hormone.