The following is a summary of “Investigating the association between the GAP-43 concentration with diffusion tensor imaging indices in Alzheimer’s dementia continuum,” published in the October 2024 issue of Neurology by Ariaei et al.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by synaptic degeneration, axonal injury, and white matter disintegration, which may be indicated by growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
Researchers conducted a prospective study to evaluate the association between cerebrospinal fluid GAP-43 levels and DTI indices in participants across the AD continuum.
They enrolled 133 participants to compare GAP-43 and DTI values across groups both cross-sectionally and longitudinally (with 2 and 4-year follow-ups) and investigated the correlation between cerebrospinal fluid GAP-43 levels and DTI values using Spearman’s correlation.
The results showed that cerebrospinal fluid GAP-43 levels were negatively correlated with mean diffusivity in the fornix (Cres)/stria terminals in early and late mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (rs =-0.478, P=0.021 and rs =-0.425, P=0.038). Also negatively correlated with fractional anisotropy in the cingulum in late MCI (rs =-0.437, P=0.033), axial diffusivity in the superior corona radiata (rs =-0.562, P=0.005 and rs =-0.484, P=0.036), and radial diffusivity in the superior frontal-occipital fasciculus in early and mid-MCI (rs =-0.520, P=0.011 and rs =-0.498, P=0.030).
They concluded that the presynaptic markers GAP-43 and DTI may be novel biomarkers for detecting microstructural synaptic degeneration and monitoring AD progression.
Source: bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-024-03904-9
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