10 December 2024
Fort Worth, TX - A team from the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth has had a key study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Lubnaa Abdullah, Psy.D., ABPP, Assistant Professor within the Department of Family and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and Fan Zhang, PhD, James Hall, PhD, and Sid O’Bryant, PhD. conducted the largest characterization of plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL) in community-dwelling non-Hispanic Blacks.
“We know that among many Alzheimer’s Disease biomarkers, the biomarker outcomes vary by ethno-racial background. So, our work aimed to fill in the gap within the literature. We want to make steps toward a precision-diagnostic approach to enhance the reach of science to diverse populations at risk of Alzheimer’s Disease,” said Dr. Abdullah.
Baseline data were analyzed among 283 non-Hispanic Blacks from the multi-ethnic Health and Aging Brain Study- Health Disparities (HABS-HD) “Our project is the largest characterization of plasma neurofilament light chain in community-dwelling non-Hispanic Blacks to be conducted” said Dr. Abdullah. “Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a polypeptide protein and a marker of neurodegeneration. It is released into the bloodstream when neurons are damaged, reflecting changes in brain cells and cell death. NfL is not specific to Alzheimer’s and is elevated in several diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and traumatic brain injury. Even so, NfL has been demonstrated as a robust biomarker to predict cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s Disease with a great deal of reliability. However, associations of NfL within diverse populations are lacking.”
The project sought to determine how NfL values are associated with different cognitive outcomes. This type of study helps provide insight on how brain cell changes impact cognitive functioning. The main findings suggest that plasma NfL levels are significantly associated with measures of executive functioning, which elucidate NfL as a non-specific marker of neurodegeneration associated with efficiency of brain functions involving attention, processing, and generativity.
These outcomes demonstrate that NfL may be a sensitive measure for the detection of alterations in cognitive processing even before the onset of functional changes of neurodegeneration that are commonly associated with dementia, such as getting lost and forgetfulness.
Changes in processing speed and other executive functions typically occur before memory changes in Alzheimer’s. The current study provides evidence of this, suggesting that alternations in the coordination of multiple cognitive domains, which direct attention and aid in memory retrieval, precede changes in memory.
However, NfL is not specific to AD alone, and the associations between NfL and cognition changed when participants were separated by diagnostic group, adding to the breadth of literature supporting the inconsistency of NfL as a specific biomarker of AD.
“Many factors can impact the relationship between NfL and cognition. For example, having higher education may buffer against the cognitive effects of NfL. Additionally, economic instability, high stress levels, and low resiliency resources can increase levels of NfL. The impact of social determinants of health on NfL have been observed in studies on Huntington’s Disease patients, where higher NfL was associated with smaller social network size and diversity.”
This work offers an initial understanding of the relationship of neurodegeneration with cognitive outcomes in community-dwelling non-Hispanic Blacks. Further research, utilizing longitudinal models, imaging biomarker data, and considering sociocultural impacts on biological factors could further clarify how plasma biomarkers, like NfL, relate to the cognitive trajectory in AD among Black Americans.
To read the complete study click here.
Notes for the Editors
Title: Neurofilament light and cognition in community-dwelling non-Hispanic Blacks
(JAD-240415/ALZ1283693)
Author(s): Lubnaa Abdullah (Conceptualization; Writing—original draft; Writing—review & editing); Fan Zhang (Formal analysis; Writing—review & editing); James Hall (Conceptualization; Writing—review & editing); Sid O'Bryant (Conceptualization; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology).
DOI: 10.1177/1387287724128369
Published in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
About the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (JAD) is an international multidisciplinary journal to facilitate progress in understanding the etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, genetics, behavior, treatment, and psychology of Alzheimer's disease. The journal publishes research reports, reviews, short communications, book reviews, and letters-to-the-editor. Groundbreaking research that has appeared in the journal includes novel therapeutic targets, mechanisms of disease, and clinical trial outcomes. JAD has a Journal Impact Factor of 3.4 according to Journal Citation Reports™ (Clarivate, 2024). The journal is published by IOS Press, now part of Sage. www.j-alz.com
The journal is published by IOS Press. www.j-alz.com
About IOS Press
IOS Press is an international scientific, technical, medical (STM) publishing house established in 1987 in Amsterdam. We produce around 100 journals and 70 books annually in a broad range of subject categories, primarily specializing in health and life sciences (including neurosciences, medical informatics, cancer research, and rehabilitation) and computer sciences (including artificial intelligence, data science, and semantic web). In addition, we offer specialized services that support scientific advancement. www.iospress.com.
