Browsing by Author "Bahl, Aanya"

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    Association of dietary fatty acids with longitudinal change in plasma-based biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease
    (Elsevier, 2025) Hoost, Serena S.; Honig, Lawrence S.; Kang, Min Suk; Bahl, Aanya; Lee, Annie J.; Sanchez, Danurys; Reyes-Dumeyer, Dolly; Lantigua, Rafael A.; Dage, Jeffrey L.; Brickman, Adam M.; Manly, Jennifer J.; Mayeux, Richard; Gu, Yian; Neurology, School of Medicine
    Background: Elevated intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is linked to a reduced risk of dementia in some prospective studies. However, few studies have examined the relationship between nutrient intake and plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. Objectives: We explored whether omega-3, omega-6, and monounsaturated fat intakes were associated with changes in plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease over time. Design: The Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project is a prospective cohort study (1994-2021); the data set used here includes a mean follow-up of 7.0 years. Setting: Community-based in New York City. Participants: 599 dementia-free individuals at baseline who completed a 61-item food frequency questionnaire and had biomarkers measured in plasma from at least two different time points. Measurements: Fatty acid intake tertiles were computed from participant-completed 61-item Willett semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires (Channing Laboratory, Cambridge, Massachusetts) obtained once at their baseline visit. Plasma-based biomarker assays were performed, using the single molecule array technology Quanterix Simoa HD-X platform, at baseline and follow-up visits. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) models were used to evaluate the association between baseline nutrient intake tertile and changes in biomarkers including phospho-tau181, amyloid-beta 42/40 ratio, phospho-tau181/amyloid-beta42 ratio, glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament light chain, and two biomarker patterns derived from Principal Component Analysis (PCA1 and PCA2), with higher scores indicating a high level of neurodegeneration and low level of Alzheimer's disease burden, respectively). Models were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and calculated total energy intake initially, and additionally for cerebrovascular risk factors. Results: Higher baseline omega-3 intake tertile was associated with lesser decline in PCA2 (β = 0.221, p < 0.001) and amyloid-beta 42/40 ratio (β = 0.022, p = 0.003), and a lesser rise in phospho-tau181 (β = -0.037, p = 0.001). Higher omega-6 intake tertile was linked to a lesser rise in phospho-tau181 (β = -0.050, p < 0.001) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (β = -0.028, p = 0.002). Most associations persisted after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusions: Higher relative baseline intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is associated with lesser progression of blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. Consuming healthy fatty acids may help prevent accumulation of Alzheimer's disease-related pathological changes.
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    Blood‐Based Biomarkers to Aid in Alzheimer’s Disease Prediction or Diagnosis: Analysis in a Multi‐Ethnic Cohort Study
    (Wiley, 2025-01-03) Bahl, Aanya; Honig, Lawrence S.; Kang, Min Suk; Sanchez, Danurys; Reyes-Dumeyer, Dolly; Manly, Jennifer J.; Lantigua, Rafael A.; Dage, Jeffrey L.; Brickman, Adam M.; Vardarajan, Badri N.; Mayeux, Richard; Gu, Yian; Neurology, School of Medicine
    Background: Blood‐based biomarkers may aid in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), but their contribution may be confounded by the presence of multiple chronic conditions and have not been well‐tested in community populations. In the current study, we aimed to determine whether blood‐based biomarkers can aid in refining a multi‐ethnic, urban clinically diagnosed AD community‐based cohort. Method: We included 546 individuals in the Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, and Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP) study in this cross‐sectional study. Six biomarkers, including phosphorylated‐tau‐181 (P‐tau181), total (T‐tau), amyloid‐beta 40 and 42 (Aβ40, Aβ42), Glial Fibrillary Acid Protein (GFAP), and Neurofilament Light Chain (NfL) were measured using Quanterix SIMOA HD‐X platforms. The association between the biomarkers and AD or cognitive impairment was tested using logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, ethnic group, and years of education. Individuals were subsequently characterized as ‘biomarker positive’ or ‘biomarker negative’ based on combined GFAP and P‐tau181/Aβ42 cut scores. Result: The mean age of individuals was 79.3 years (6.56) and 379 (69.4%) were women, 133 (24.48%), were Non‐Hispanic Black, 153 (28.0%) Non‐Hispanic White, and 248 (45.4%) were Hispanic. A clinical diagnosis of AD was made in 129 (25.49%) individuals. Low Aβ42 (OR = 0.18, [95% CI: 0.04 ‐ 0.92]), low Aβ42/Aβ40 (OR = 0.49, [95% CI: 0.228 ‐ 0.872), and high P‐tau181/Ab42 (OR = 5.494, [95% CI: 1.523 – 20.416]) were associated with a clinical diagnosis of AD suggesting a role as predictive biomarkers. However, the best combination, GFAP and P‐tau181/Aβ42 cut scores, yielded a sensitivity of 41% and specificity of 70.5% for clinically diagnosed AD. The concordance was 54.5% and the discordance was present in both directions. Low education, cardiovascular and other comorbidities might contribute to the discrepancy between biomarker positivity and clinical diagnosis. Conclusion: While GFAP and P‐tau181/Aβ42 levels are associated with AD pathology and can aid in the diagnosis of AD, the presence of multiple chronic conditions may lead to either false positives or negatives. Large multi‐ethnic community cohort studies are needed to further examine the utility of these biomarkers in aiding in the clinical diagnosis of AD.
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    Risk of Alzheimer's Disease is Associated with Longitudinal Changes in Plasma Biomarkers in the Multiethnic Washington Heights, Inwood Columbia Aging Project Cohort
    (medRxiv, 2023-08-16) Gu, Yian; Honig, Lawrence S.; Kang, Min Suk; Bahl, Aanya; Sanchez, Danurys; Reyes-Dumeyer, Dolly; Manly, Jennifer J.; Lantigua, Rafael A.; Dage, Jeffrey L.; Brickman, Adam M.; Vardarajan, Badri N.; Mayeux, Richard; Neurology, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers can help differentiate cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. The role of AD biomarkers in predicting cognitive impairment and AD needs examination. Methods: In 628 CU individuals from a multi-ethnic cohort, Aβ42, Aβ40, phosphorylated tau-181 (P-tau181), glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), and neurofilament light chain (NfL) were measured in plasma. Results: Higher baseline levels of P-tau181/Aβ42 ratio were associated with increased risk of incident dementia. A biomarker pattern (with elevated Aβ42/Aβ40 but low P-tau181/Aβ42) was associated with decreased dementia risk. Compared to CU, participants who developed MCI or dementia had a rapid decrease in the biomarker pattern reflecting AD-specific pathological change. Discussion: Elevated levels of AD biomarker P-tau181/Aβ42, by itself or combined with a low Aβ42/Aβ40 level, predicts clinically diagnosed AD. Individuals with a rapid change in these biomarkers may need close monitoring for the potential downward trajectory of cognition.
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    Risk of Alzheimer's disease is associated with longitudinal changes in plasma biomarkers in the multi‐ethnic Washington Heights–Hamilton Heights–Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP) cohort
    (Wiley, 2024) Gu, Yian; Honig, Lawrence S.; Kang, Min Suk; Bahl, Aanya; Sanchez, Danurys; Reyes-Dumeyer, Dolly; Manly, Jennifer J.; Dage, Jeffrey L.; Lantigua, Rafael A.; Brickman, Adam M.; Vardarajan, Badri N.; Mayeux, Richard; Neurology, School of Medicine
    Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers can help differentiate cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. The role of AD biomarkers in predicting cognitive impairment and AD needs examination. Methods: In 628 CU individuals from a multi-ethnic cohort, amyloid beta (Aβ)42, Aβ40, phosphorylated tau-181 (p-tau181), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament light chain (NfL) were measured in plasma. Results: Higher baseline levels of p-tau181/Aβ42 ratio were associated with an increased risk of incident dementia. A biomarker pattern (with elevated Aβ42/Aβ40 but low p-tau181/Aβ42) was associated with decreased dementia risk. Compared to CU, participants who developed MCI or dementia had a rapid decrease in this protective biomarker pattern reflecting AD-specific pathological change. Discussion: Elevated levels of AD biomarker p-tau181/Aβ42, by itself or combined with a low Aβ42/Aβ40 level, predicts clinically diagnosed AD. Individuals with a rapid change in these biomarkers may need close monitoring for the potential downward trajectory of cognition. Highlights: We discuss a multi-ethnic, urban community study of elderly individuals. The study consisted of a longitudinal assessment over 6 years with repeated clinical assessments. The study used blood-based biomarkers as predictors of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.