title: Plasma cystatin C and risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in subjects with mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: Recent years have witnessed an increasing interest in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), particularly as a possible prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Experimental and clinical data have suggested that cystatin C (CysC) is protective against the development of AD. In this study, we sought to cross-sectionally and longitudinally investigate the changes in plasma CysC levels in patients with MCI and whether the levels of this molecule might serve as a biochemical predictor of cognitive decline in this patient group. Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data showed a borderline significant difference in plasma CysC levels among the three study groups (Controls, n=63; AD, n=63; MCI, n=59) (p =0.032) that disappeared after post hoc analysis. Plasma CysC levels did not differ at baseline (t1) and at follow-up (t2) both in MCI patients that converted to AD (n= 32) and those that did not convert (n=27). However, a significant independent association between CysC at t1 and CysC at t2 was found in non-converters but not in converters MCI subjects. Moreover, when disease onset was evaluated in patients groups stratified on the basis of their CysC plasma levels, a significant anticipation of the conversion to dementia in MCI subjects with CysC levels below the median (CysC < 1067 ng/ml) (p =0.0011) was observed. Altogether, this work adds to the growing body of literature suggesting that CysC modulates the clinical expression of cognitive decline, and opens a new area of investigation of CysC as a therapeutic target for neurodegenerative disorders.
authors.affiliation: Proteomics Unit, IRCCS Centro S. Giovanni di Dio-FBF, Brescia, Italy. rghidoni@fatebenefratelli.it
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ghidoni
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Benussi
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glionna
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Desenzani
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Albertini
authors.forename: Efrat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emanuele
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Binetti
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055316:Cystatin C / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D055316:Cystatin C