Abstract
Biochemical processes have been associated with the pathogenesis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, including chronic inflammation, dysregulation of membrane lipids and disruption of neurotransmitter pathways. However, research investigating biomarkers of these processes in MCI remained sparse and inconsistent. To collect fresh evidence, we evaluated the performance of several potential markers in a cohort of 57 MCI patients and 57 cognitively healthy controls. MCI patients showed obviously increased levels of plasma TNF-α (p = 0.045) and C-peptide (p = 0.004) as well as decreased levels of VEGF-A (p = 0.042) and PAI-1 (p = 0.019), compared with controls. In addition, our study detected significant correlations of plasma sTNFR-1 (MCI + Control: B = -6.529, p = 0.020; MCI: B = -9.865, p = 0.011) and sIL-2Rα (MCI + Control: B = -7.010, p = 0.007; MCI: B = -11.834, p = 0.003) levels with MoCA scores in the whole cohort and the MCI group. These findings corroborate the inflammatory and vascular hypothesis for dementia. Future studies are warranted to determine their potential as early biomarkers for cognitive deficits and explore the related mechanisms.
Highlights
Dementia prominently threatens a growing number of the aging population and much effort has been devoted to early diagnosis and prediction of dementing disorders
No significant differences were noted in the frequency of diabetes mellitus, alcohol intake, smoking, marriage and employment status between Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients and normal controls (p > 0.05)
The present study provided evidence indicating that individuals with MCI differed from cognitively healthy controls in the plasma expression of at least four markers: TNF-α, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), C-peptide and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)
Summary
Dementia prominently threatens a growing number of the aging population and much effort has been devoted to early diagnosis and prediction of dementing disorders. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a clinical syndrome presenting cognitive decline with preservation of global intellectual abilities and minimal interference in instrumental activities of daily living [1]. It is defined as the intermediate stage between intact cognitive function and clinically proven dementia, during which patients will benefit greatly if they obtain prompt diagnosis and efficacious intervention [1, 2]. Information of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and peripheral blood biomarkers as well as neuroimaging changes, such as positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau, are of vital importance to facilitate clinical trials of disease-modifying therapy. For example plasma, have more advantages over CSF and PET data in discriminating disease status, such as less invasiveness and low cost
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
