Alzheimer Disease: Aging Brain Study

Abstract: Alzheimer disease has become a common disease in aging, which accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases (Qiu, Kivipelto & Strauss, 2009). β-Amyloid deposition in brain is associated with cognitive decline in aging, which is associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer Disease. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is collected in the walls of blood vessels, which can cause blockages and cerebral amyloidosis if the LDL level becomes higher. Since many patients with cerebral amyloidosis or Alzheimer Disease had LDL cholesterol concentrations in the normal range for the general population, we used the LDL subfractions classified by LDL particle size and density to examine which kind of the LDL can be the best predictors of cerebral amyloidosis, which would be a good marker of Alzheimer Disease. Cross-sectional analysis of LDL subfractions levels together with measures of amyloid deposition (Pittsburgh Compound B index), Apolipoprotein C-III (ApoC-III) glycoforms, hippocampal brain volume, and cognitive testing scores was among 58 participants (40 women and 18 men) from the Aging Brain Study. In this study, we find that
The PiB radiotracer was synthesized at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory using a previously published protocol (Mathis et al., 2003). PiB-PET imaging was conducted using a Siemens ECAT HR scanner in 3-D acquisition mode, which can provide direct insight into cerebral amyloidosis. Cerebral Aβ was measured using the PiB index that averages PiB signal in brain regions with amyloidosis (Marchant et al., 2014). Distribution volume ratio values were extracted from regions of interest vulnerable to Aβ deposition. PiB index can be used as a marker in diagnosing and monitoring disease progression in Alzheimer Disease (Lockhart et al.,