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Green RE, Lord J, Scelsi MA, Xu J, Wong A, Naomi-James S, Handy A, Gilchrist L, Williams DM, Parker TD, Lane CA, Malone IB, Cash DM, Sudre CH, Coath W, Thomas DL, Keuss S, Dobson R, Legido-Quigley C, Fox NC, Schott JM, Richards M, Proitsi P. Investigating associations between blood metabolites, later life brain imaging measures, and genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Res Ther 2023; 15:38. [PMID: 36814324 PMCID: PMC9945600 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-023-01184-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identifying blood-based signatures of brain health and preclinical pathology may offer insights into early disease mechanisms and highlight avenues for intervention. Here, we systematically profiled associations between blood metabolites and whole-brain volume, hippocampal volume, and amyloid-β status among participants of Insight 46-the neuroscience sub-study of the National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD). We additionally explored whether key metabolites were associated with polygenic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS Following quality control, levels of 1019 metabolites-detected with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-were available for 1740 participants at age 60-64. Metabolite data were subsequently clustered into modules of co-expressed metabolites using weighted coexpression network analysis. Accompanying MRI and amyloid-PET imaging data were present for 437 participants (age 69-71). Regression analyses tested relationships between metabolite measures-modules and hub metabolites-and imaging outcomes. Hub metabolites were defined as metabolites that were highly connected within significant (pFDR < 0.05) modules or were identified as a hub in a previous analysis on cognitive function in the same cohort. Regression models included adjustments for age, sex, APOE genotype, lipid medication use, childhood cognitive ability, and social factors. Finally, associations were tested between AD polygenic risk scores (PRS), including and excluding the APOE region, and metabolites and modules that significantly associated (pFDR < 0.05) with an imaging outcome (N = 1638). RESULTS In the fully adjusted model, three lipid modules were associated with a brain volume measure (pFDR < 0.05): one enriched in sphingolipids (hippocampal volume: ß = 0.14, 95% CI = [0.055,0.23]), one in several fatty acid pathways (whole-brain volume: ß = - 0.072, 95%CI = [- 0.12, - 0.026]), and another in diacylglycerols and phosphatidylethanolamines (whole-brain volume: ß = - 0.066, 95% CI = [- 0.11, - 0.020]). Twenty-two hub metabolites were associated (pFDR < 0.05) with an imaging outcome (whole-brain volume: 22; hippocampal volume: 4). Some nominal associations were reported for amyloid-β, and with an AD PRS in our genetic analysis, but none survived multiple testing correction. CONCLUSIONS Our findings highlight key metabolites, with functions in membrane integrity and cell signalling, that associated with structural brain measures in later life. Future research should focus on replicating this work and interrogating causality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E Green
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AB, UK.,UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley Trust, London, UK
| | - Jodie Lord
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AB, UK
| | - Marzia A Scelsi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Centre for Medical Image Computing (CMIC), University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Jin Xu
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AB, UK.,Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Wong
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL, University College London, Floor 5, MRC LHA at UCL, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK
| | - Sarah Naomi-James
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL, University College London, Floor 5, MRC LHA at UCL, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.,Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Alex Handy
- University College London, Institute of Health Informatics, London, UK
| | - Lachlan Gilchrist
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AB, UK
| | - Dylan M Williams
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL, University College London, Floor 5, MRC LHA at UCL, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.,Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Thomas D Parker
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.,Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK.,UK DRI Centre for Care Research and Technology, Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Christopher A Lane
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Ian B Malone
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - David M Cash
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.,UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London, London, UK
| | - Carole H Sudre
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Centre for Medical Image Computing (CMIC), University College London (UCL), London, UK.,MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL, University College London, Floor 5, MRC LHA at UCL, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.,Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.,School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - William Coath
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - David L Thomas
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.,Neuroradiological Academic Unit, Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sarah Keuss
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Richard Dobson
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AB, UK.,UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley Trust, London, UK.,University College London, Institute of Health Informatics, London, UK.,Health Data Research UK London, University College London, London, UK.,NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Cristina Legido-Quigley
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, UK.,Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Nick C Fox
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.,UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London, London, UK
| | - Jonathan M Schott
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
| | - Marcus Richards
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL, University College London, Floor 5, MRC LHA at UCL, 1 - 19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
| | - Petroula Proitsi
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AB, UK.
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