Biochemical markers of neurodegeneration in patients with cerebral small vessel disease and Alzheimer's disease

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Abstract

Introduction. Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) as well as the Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their comorbidities are the most common causes of cognitive impairments (CIs).

Objective: to evaluate the predictive power of the biochemical neurodegeneration markers in patients with CSVD and AD.

Materials and methods. We assessed the following neurodegeneration markers in 68 patients with CSVD (61.0 ± 8.6 years; 60.3% males), 17 patients with AD (65.2 ± 8.3 years; 35.3% males), and 26 healthy volunteers (59.9 ± 6.7 years; 38.5% males): neuron-specific enolase (NSE), glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), neurofilament light polypeptide (NEFL) in blood (for all patients) and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF; in patients with CSVD and AD). We assessed the predictive power of those markers with ROC analysis.

Results. As compared to the control group, serum GFAP in patients with CSVD showed its predictive power at 0.155 ng/ml (sensitivity 74%; specificity 70%). Serum NEFL > 0.0185 ng/ml (sensitivity 82%; specificity 96%) and NSE < 4.95 μg/ml (sensitivity 77%; specificity 71%) showed their predictive power in patients with AD. CSF GFAP > 1.03 ng/ml (sensitivity 84%; specificity 88%), CSF NSE < 19.10 μg/ml (sensitivity 88%; specificity 91%), serum NEFL < 0.021 ng/ml (sensitivity 71%; specificity 76%), serum NSE /CSF NSE ratio > 0.273 ng/ml (sensitivity 87%; specificity 88%) help differentiate CSVD from AD.

Conclusions. We found that serum GFAP can be a useful diagnostic marker in patients with CSVD, while serum NEFL and serum NSE can help identify the AD. In addition, CSF GFAP and CSF NSE as well as serum NEFL and serum NSE/CSF NSE can help differentiate CSVD from AD. We can use those markers in clinical and research practice to identify the vascular and neurodegenerative causes of CIs and their comorbidities, which is of a great importance in developing specific treatment and predicting the course of the disease.

About the authors

Larisa A. Dobrynina

Research Center of Neurology

Email: dobrla@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9929-2725

D. Sci. (Med.), chief researcher, Head, 3rd Neurological department, Institute of Clinical and Preventive Neurology, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia

Russian Federation, Moscow

Maria M. Tsypushtanova

Research Center of Neurology

Email: tzipushtanova@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4231-3895

postgraduate student, neurologist, 3rd Neurological department, Institute of Clinical and Preventive Neurology, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia

Russian Federation, Moscow

Аlla A. Shabalina

Research Center of Neurology

Email: ashabalina@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9604-7775

D. Sci. (Med.), leading researcher, Head, Department of laboratory diagnostics, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia

Russian Federation, Moscow

Kamila V. Shamtieva

Research Center of Neurology

Email: kamila.shamt@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6995-1352

Cand. Sci. (Med.), researcher, 3rd Neurological department, Institute of Clinical and Preventive Neurology, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia

Russian Federation, Moscow

Angelina G. Makarova

Research Center of Neurology

Email: angelinagm@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8862-654X

postgraduate student, neurologist, 3rd Neurological department, Institute of Clinical and Preventive Neurology, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia

Russian Federation, Moscow

Viktoria V. Trubitsyna

Research Center of Neurology

Email: pobeda-1994@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7898-6541

postgraduate student, radiologist, Department of radiation diagnostics, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia

Russian Federation, Moscow

Elina T. Bitsieva

Research Center of Neurology

Email: elinabitsieva1997@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1464-0722

postgraduate student, neurologist, 3rd Neurological department, Institute of Clinical and Preventive Neurology, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia

Russian Federation, Moscow

Aleksandra A. Byrochkina

Research Center of Neurology

Email: byrochkinasasha@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2285-2533

postgraduate student, neurologist, 3rd Neurological department, Institute of Clinical and Preventive Neurology, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia

Russian Federation, Moscow

Anastasia A. Geints

Lomonosov Moscow State University

Author for correspondence.
Email: anastasiyatarasova75@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0009-0001-1836-2515

resident of the 6rd neurological department of the Research Center of Neurology

Russian Federation, Moscow

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2. Fig. 1. The levels of neurodegeneration markers in patients with CSVD/AD and the control group.

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3. Fig. 2. ROC curve for serum GFAP in patients with CSVD vs the control group.

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4. Fig. 3. ROC curves for serum NEFL (А) and serum NSE (B) in patients with AD vs the control group.

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5. Fig. 4. ROC curves for serum NEFL (А), CSF NSE (B), CSF GFAP(C), serum NSE/CSF NSE (D) in patients with CSVD and AD.

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Copyright (c) 2023 Dobrynina L.A., Tsypushtanova M.M., Shabalina А.A., Shamtieva K.V., Makarova A.G., Trubitsyna V.V., Bitsieva E.T., Byrochkina A.A., Geints A.A.

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