Investigating the relationship of circulating lipidome profiles with
cross-sectional and longitudinal changes of central Alzheimer’s disease
(AD) biomarkers, including amyloid/tau/neurodegeneration (A/T/N), can
provide a holistic view between the lipidome and AD pathophysiology. In
this study, we quantified a total of 749 plasma lipid species at
baseline using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and performed
cross-sectional and longitudinal association analysis of plasma lipidome
profiles with longitudinal A/T/N biomarkers for AD in the Alzheimer’s
Disease Neuroimaging Initiative cohort (N = 1395). We identified several
lipid species, classes, and network modules of correlated lipids that
were significantly associated with cross-sectional and longitudinal
changes of A/T/N biomarkers. Notably, we identified
lysoalkylphosphatidylcholine (LPC(O)) as associated with cross-sectional
“A/N” biomarkers at the lipid species, class, and module levels. Also,
Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) ethers were associated with A/T/N
biomarkers in the species level and with “N” biomarkers in the class and
module levels. GM3 ganglioside showed association with
cross-sectional and longitudinal changes of “N” biomarkers at the
species and class levels. Furthermore, 20 lipid species, out of all 57
species identified as associated with “less severe” AD biomarkers,
contained docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), indicating that the previously
reported beneficial effects of DHA on AD were significant at the central
biomarker level. In conclusion, our approach linking peripheral
metabolic changes with brain metabolic, structural, and functional
states strengthens evidence from previous studies that were performed
using only clinical AD diagnosis. Importantly, our study also enabled
identification of novel lipids that play potential roles in progression
of AD pathophysiology, suggesting dysregulation of lipid metabolic
pathways as precursors to AD development and progression.
GrantsFoundation for the National Institutes of Health (Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Inc.) U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH)