Plasma Metabolites Associated with Brain MRI Measures of Neurodegeneration in Older Adults in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities-Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS)

• Authors: Danni Li, University of Minnesota; Jeffrey R. Misialek, University of Minnesota; Clifford R. Jack, Mayo Clinic; Michelle M. Mielke, Mayo Clinic; David Knopman, Mayo Clinic; Rebecca Gottesman, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions; Tom Mosley, University of Mississippi; Alvaro Alonso, Emory University
• Journal Title: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Volume: Volume 20, Number 7
• Publisher: MDPI | 2019-04-09
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20071744
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery; Health Sciences, Radiology; Health Sciences, Epidemiology
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Physical Sciences; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; Chemistry; metabolomics; sphingomyelins; plasma; cerebral small vessel disease; neurodegeneration; brain atrophy; SMALL VESSEL DISEASE; WHITE-MATTER HYPERINTENSITIES; OXIDIZED PHOSPHOLIPIDS; SPHINGOLIPIDS; DYSFUNCTION; SURVIVAL; PROTEIN; LIPIDS; VOLUME

Abstract

Background: Plasma metabolites are associated with cognitive and physical function in the elderly. Because cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) and neurodegeneration are common causes of cognitive and physical function decline, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the associations of six plasma metabolites (two plasma phosphatidylcholines [PCs]: PC aa C36:5 and PC aa 36:6 and four sphingomyelins [SMs]: SM C26:0, SM [OH] C22:1, SM [OH] C22:2, SM [OH] C24:1) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of cerebral SVD and neurodegeneration in older adults. Methods: This study included 238 older adults in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study at the fifth exam. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the association of each metabolite (log-transformed) in separate models with MRI measures except lacunar infarcts, for which binary logistic regression was used. Results: Higher concentrations of plasma PC aa C36:5 had adverse associations with MRI features of cerebral SVD (odds ratio of 1.69 [95% confidence interval: 1.01, 2.83] with lacunar infarct, and beta of 0.16 log [cm3] [0.02, 0.30] with log [White Matter Hyperintensities (WMH) volume]) while higher concentrations of 3 plasma SM (OH)s were associated with higher total brain volume (beta of 12.0 cm3 [5.5, 18.6], 11.8 cm3 [5.0, 18.6], and 7.3 cm3 [1.2, 13.5] for SM [OH] C22:1, SM [OH] C22:2, and SM [OH] C24:1, respectively). Conclusions: This study identified associations between certain plasma metabolites and brain MRI measures of SVD and neurodegeneration in older adults, particularly higher SM (OH) concentrations with higher total brain volume.