Associations between blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease with cognition in motoric cognitive risk syndrome: A pilot study using plasma Aβ42 and total tau

Pei-Hao Chen; Sang-I Lin; Ying-Yi Liao; Wei-Ling Hsu; Fang-Yu Cheng

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.981632

Associations between blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease with cognition in motoric cognitive risk syndrome: A pilot study using plasma Aβ42 and total tau

Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Oct 4:14:981632. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.981632. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Pei-Hao Chen^{1

2

3}, Sang-I Lin⁴, Ying-Yi Liao⁵, Wei-Ling Hsu^{4

6}, Fang-Yu Cheng⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
² Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
³ Graduate Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁴ Institute of Long-Term Care, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Gerontological Health Care, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁶ Center of Dementia Care, MacKay Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Abstract

Background: Motoric cognitive risk (MCR) syndrome is a conceptual construct that combines slow gait speed with subjective cognitive complaints and has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. However, the relationships between the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and MCR syndrome remain uncertain. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the levels of plasma AD biomarkers (Aβ42 and total tau) and their relationships with cognition in individuals with MCR.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional pilot study that enrolled 25 individuals with normal cognition (NC), 27 with MCR, and 16 with AD. Plasma Aβ42 and total tau (t-tau) levels were measured using immunomagnetic reduction (IMR) assays. A comprehensive neuropsychological assessment was also performed.

Results: The levels of plasma t-tau proteins did not differ significantly between the MCR and AD groups, but that of plasma t-tau was significantly increased in the MCR and AD groups, compared to the NC group. Visuospatial performance was significantly lower in the MCR group than in the NC group. The levels of plasma t-tau correlated significantly with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Boston naming test scores in the MCR group.

Conclusion: In this pilot study, we found significantly increased plasma t-tau proteins in the MCR and AD groups, compared with the NC group. The plasma t-tau levels were also significantly correlated with the cognitive function of older adults with MCR. These results implied that MCR and AD may share similar pathology. However, these findings need further confirmation in longitudinal studies.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; cognition; gait speed; motoric cognitive risk syndrome; plasma biomarker.