Browsing by Author "Baillie, Rebecca"
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Item Altered bile acid profile associates with cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease—An emerging role for gut microbiome(Elsevier, 2019-01) MahmoudianDehkordi, Siamak; Arnold, Matthias; Nho, Kwangsik; Ahmad, Shahzad; Jia, Wei; Xie, Guoxiang; Louie, Gregory; Kueider‐Paisley, Alexandra; Moseley, M. Arthur; Thompson, J. Will; St John Williams, Lisa; Tenenbaum, Jessica D.; Blach, Colette; Baillie, Rebecca; Han, Xianlin; Bhattacharyya, Sudeepa; Toledo, Jon B.; Schafferer, Simon; Klein, Sebastian; Koal, Therese; Risacher, Shannon L.; Kling, Mitchel Allan; Motsinger‐Reif, Alison; Rotroff, Daniel M.; Jack, John; Hankemeier, Thomas; Bennett, David A.; De Jager, Philip L.; Trojanowski, John Q.; Shaw, Leslie M.; Weiner, Michael W.; Doraiswamy, P. Murali; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Saykin, Andrew J.; Kastenmüller, Gabi; Kaddurah‐Daouk, Rima; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of MedicineIntroduction Increasing evidence suggests a role for the gut microbiome in central nervous system disorders and a specific role for the gut‐brain axis in neurodegeneration. Bile acids (BAs), products of cholesterol metabolism and clearance, are produced in the liver and are further metabolized by gut bacteria. They have major regulatory and signaling functions and seem dysregulated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods Serum levels of 15 primary and secondary BAs and their conjugated forms were measured in 1464 subjects including 370 cognitively normal older adults, 284 with early mild cognitive impairment, 505 with late mild cognitive impairment, and 305 AD cases enrolled in the AD Neuroimaging Initiative. We assessed associations of BA profiles including selected ratios with diagnosis, cognition, and AD‐related genetic variants, adjusting for confounders and multiple testing. Results In AD compared to cognitively normal older adults, we observed significantly lower serum concentrations of a primary BA (cholic acid [CA]) and increased levels of the bacterially produced, secondary BA, deoxycholic acid, and its glycine and taurine conjugated forms. An increased ratio of deoxycholic acid:CA, which reflects 7α‐dehydroxylation of CA by gut bacteria, strongly associated with cognitive decline, a finding replicated in serum and brain samples in the Rush Religious Orders and Memory and Aging Project. Several genetic variants in immune response–related genes implicated in AD showed associations with BA profiles. Discussion We report for the first time an association between altered BA profile, genetic variants implicated in AD, and cognitive changes in disease using a large multicenter study. These findings warrant further investigation of gut dysbiosis and possible role of gut‐liver‐brain axis in the pathogenesis of AD.Item Altered bile acid profile in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: Relationship to neuroimaging and CSF biomarkers(Elsevier, 2019-02) Nho, Kwangsik; Kueider-Paisley, Alexandra; MahmoudianDehkordi, Siamak; Arnold, Matthias; Risacher, Shannon L.; Louie, Gregory; Blach, Colette; Baillie, Rebecca; Han, Xianlin; Kastenmüller, Gabi; Jia, Wei; Xie, Guoxiang; Ahmad, Shahzad; Hankemeier, Thomas; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Trojanowski, John Q.; Shaw, Leslie M.; Weiner, Michael W.; Doraiswamy, P. Murali; Saykin, Andrew J.; Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of MedicineINTRODUCTION: Bile acids (BAs) are the end products of cholesterol metabolism produced by human and gut microbiome co-metabolism. Recent evidence suggests gut microbiota influence pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) including neuroinflammation and amyloid-β deposition. METHOD: Serum levels of 20 primary and secondary BA metabolites from the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (n = 1562) were measured using targeted metabolomic profiling. We assessed the association of BAs with the "A/T/N" (amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration) biomarkers for AD: cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, atrophy (magnetic resonance imaging), and brain glucose metabolism ([18F]FDG PET). RESULTS: Of 23 BAs and relevant calculated ratios after quality control procedures, three BA signatures were associated with CSF Aβ1-42 ("A") and three with CSF p-tau181 ("T") (corrected P < .05). Furthermore, three, twelve, and fourteen BA signatures were associated with CSF t-tau, glucose metabolism, and atrophy ("N"), respectively (corrected P < .05). DISCUSSION: This is the first study to show serum-based BA metabolites are associated with "A/T/N" AD biomarkers, providing further support for a role of BA pathways in AD pathophysiology. Prospective clinical observations and validation in model systems are needed to assess causality and specific mechanisms underlying this association.Item APOE ε2 resilience for Alzheimer's disease is mediated by plasma lipid species: Analysis of three independent cohort studies(Wiley, 2022) Wang, Tingting; Huynh, Kevin; Giles, Corey; Mellett, Natalie A.; Duong, Thy; Nguyen, Anh; Lim, Wei Ling Florence; Smith, Alex At; Olshansky, Gavriel; Cadby, Gemma; Hung, Joseph; Hui, Jennie; Beilby, John; Watts, Gerald F.; Chatterjee, Pratishtha; Martins, Ian; Laws, Simon M.; Bush, Ashley I.; Rowe, Christopher C.; Villemagne, Victor L.; Ames, David; Masters, Colin L.; Taddei, Kevin; Doré, Vincent; Fripp, Jürgen; Arnold, Matthias; Kastenmüller, Gabi; Nho, Kwangsik; Saykin, Andrew J.; Baillie, Rebecca; Han, Xianlin; Martins, Ralph N.; Moses, Eric K.; Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima; Meikle, Peter J.; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of MedicineIntroduction: The apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease. However, its effect on lipid metabolic pathways, and their mediating effect on disease risk, is poorly understood. Methods: We performed lipidomic analysis on three independent cohorts (the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle [AIBL] flagship study, n = 1087; the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative [ADNI] 1 study, n = 819; and the Busselton Health Study [BHS], n = 4384), and we defined associations between APOE ε2 and ε4 and 569 plasma/serum lipid species. Mediation analysis defined the proportion of the treatment effect of the APOE genotype mediated by plasma/serum lipid species. Results: A total of 237 and 104 lipid species were associated with APOE ε2 and ε4, respectively. Of these 68 (ε2) and 24 (ε4) were associated with prevalent Alzheimer's disease. Individual lipid species or lipidomic models of APOE genotypes mediated up to 30% and 10% of APOE ε2 and ε4 treatment effect, respectively. Discussion: Plasma lipid species mediate the treatment effect of APOE genotypes on Alzheimer's disease and as such represent a potential therapeutic target.Item Association of Altered Liver Enzymes With Alzheimer Disease Diagnosis, Cognition, Neuroimaging Measures, and Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers(American Medical Association, 2019-07) Nho, Kwangsik; Kueider-Paisley, Alexandra; Ahmad, Shahzad; MahmoudianDehkordi, Siamak; Arnold, Matthias; Risacher, Shannon L.; Louie, Gregory; Blach, Colette; Baillie, Rebecca; Han, Xianlin; Kastenmüller, Gabi; Trojanowski, John Q.; Shaw, Leslie M.; Weiner, Michael W.; Doraiswamy, P. Murali; van Duijn, Cornelia; Saykin, Andrew J.; Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of MedicineImportance: Increasing evidence suggests an important role of liver function in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease (AD). The liver is a major metabolic hub; therefore, investigating the association of liver function with AD, cognition, neuroimaging, and CSF biomarkers would improve the understanding of the role of metabolic dysfunction in AD. Objective: To examine whether liver function markers are associated with cognitive dysfunction and the "A/T/N" (amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration) biomarkers for AD. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cohort study, serum-based liver function markers were measured from September 1, 2005, to August 31, 2013, in 1581 AD Neuroimaging Initiative participants along with cognitive measures, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, brain atrophy, brain glucose metabolism, and amyloid-β accumulation. Associations of liver function markers with AD-associated clinical and A/T/N biomarkers were assessed using generalized linear models adjusted for confounding variables and multiple comparisons. Statistical analysis was performed from November 1, 2017, to February 28, 2019. Exposures: Five serum-based liver function markers (total bilirubin, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase) from AD Neuroimaging Initiative participants were used as exposure variables. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes included diagnosis of AD, composite scores for executive functioning and memory, CSF biomarkers, atrophy measured by magnetic resonance imaging, brain glucose metabolism measured by fludeoxyglucose F 18 (18F) positron emission tomography, and amyloid-β accumulation measured by [18F]florbetapir positron emission tomography. Results: Participants in the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (n = 1581; 697 women and 884 men; mean [SD] age, 73.4 [7.2] years) included 407 cognitively normal older adults, 20 with significant memory concern, 298 with early mild cognitive impairment, 544 with late mild cognitive impairment, and 312 with AD. An elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio and lower levels of ALT were associated with AD diagnosis (AST to ALT ratio: odds ratio, 7.932 [95% CI, 1.673-37.617]; P = .03; ALT: odds ratio, 0.133 [95% CI, 0.042-0.422]; P = .004) and poor cognitive performance (AST to ALT ratio: β [SE], -0.465 [0.180]; P = .02 for memory composite score; β [SE], -0.679 [0.215]; P = .006 for executive function composite score; ALT: β [SE], 0.397 [0.128]; P = .006 for memory composite score; β [SE], 0.637 [0.152]; P < .001 for executive function composite score). Increased AST to ALT ratio values were associated with lower CSF amyloid-β 1-42 levels (β [SE], -0.170 [0.061]; P = .04) and increased amyloid-β deposition (amyloid biomarkers), higher CSF phosphorylated tau181 (β [SE], 0.175 [0.055]; P = .02) (tau biomarkers) and higher CSF total tau levels (β [SE], 0.160 [0.049]; P = .02) and reduced brain glucose metabolism (β [SE], -0.123 [0.042]; P = .03) (neurodegeneration biomarkers). Lower levels of ALT were associated with increased amyloid-β deposition (amyloid biomarkers), and reduced brain glucose metabolism (β [SE], 0.096 [0.030]; P = .02) and greater atrophy (neurodegeneration biomarkers). Conclusions and Relevance: Consistent associations of serum-based liver function markers with cognitive performance and A/T/N biomarkers for AD highlight the involvement of metabolic disturbances in the pathophysiology of AD. Further studies are needed to determine if these associations represent a causative or secondary role. Liver enzyme involvement in AD opens avenues for novel diagnostics and therapeutics.Item Bile acids targeted metabolomics and medication classification data in the ADNI1 and ADNIGO/2 cohorts(Nature Research, 2019-10-17) St. John-Williams, Lisa; Mahmoudiandehkordi, Siamak; Arnold, Matthias; Massaro, Tyler; Blach, Colette; Kastenmüller, Gabi; Louie, Gregory; Kueider-Paisley, Alexandra; Han, Xianlin; Baillie, Rebecca; Motsinger-Reif, Alison A.; Rotroff, Daniel; Nho, Kwangsik; Saykin, Andrew J.; Risacher, Shannon L.; Koal, Therese; Moseley, M. Arthur; Tenenbaum, Jessica D.; Thompson, J. Will; Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative; Alzheimer’s Disease Metabolomics Consortium; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of MedicineAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. The mechanism of disease development and progression is not well understood, but increasing evidence suggests multifactorial etiology, with a number of genetic, environmental, and aging-related factors. There is a growing body of evidence that metabolic defects may contribute to this complex disease. To interrogate the relationship between system level metabolites and disease susceptibility and progression, the AD Metabolomics Consortium (ADMC) in partnership with AD Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) is creating a comprehensive biochemical database for patients in the ADNI1 cohort. We used the Biocrates Bile Acids platform to evaluate the association of metabolic levels with disease risk and progression. We detail the quantitative metabolomics data generated on the baseline samples from ADNI1 and ADNIGO/2 (370 cognitively normal, 887 mild cognitive impairment, and 305 AD). Similar to our previous reports on ADNI1, we present the tools for data quality control and initial analysis. This data descriptor represents the third in a series of comprehensive metabolomics datasets from the ADMC on the ADNI.Item Brain and blood metabolite signatures of pathology and progression in Alzheimer disease: A targeted metabolomics study(Public Library of Science, 2018-01-25) Varma, Vijay R.; Oommen, Anup M.; Varma, Sudhir; Casanova, Ramon; An, Yang; Andrews, Ryan M.; O’Brien, Richard; Pletnikova, Olga; Troncoso, Juan C.; Toledo, Jon; Baillie, Rebecca; Arnold, Matthias; Kastenmueller, Gabi; Nho, Kwangsik; Doraiswamy, P. Murali; Saykin, Andrew J.; Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima; Legido-Quigley, Cristina; Thambisetty, Madhav; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of MedicineBACKGROUND: The metabolic basis of Alzheimer disease (AD) is poorly understood, and the relationships between systemic abnormalities in metabolism and AD pathogenesis are unclear. Understanding how global perturbations in metabolism are related to severity of AD neuropathology and the eventual expression of AD symptoms in at-risk individuals is critical to developing effective disease-modifying treatments. In this study, we undertook parallel metabolomics analyses in both the brain and blood to identify systemic correlates of neuropathology and their associations with prodromal and preclinical measures of AD progression. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Quantitative and targeted metabolomics (Biocrates AbsoluteIDQ [identification and quantification] p180) assays were performed on brain tissue samples from the autopsy cohort of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) (N = 44, mean age = 81.33, % female = 36.36) from AD (N = 15), control (CN; N = 14), and "asymptomatic Alzheimer's disease" (ASYMAD, i.e., individuals with significant AD pathology but no cognitive impairment during life; N = 15) participants. Using machine-learning methods, we identified a panel of 26 metabolites from two main classes-sphingolipids and glycerophospholipids-that discriminated AD and CN samples with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 83.33%, 86.67%, and 80%, respectively. We then assayed these 26 metabolites in serum samples from two well-characterized longitudinal cohorts representing prodromal (Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative [ADNI], N = 767, mean age = 75.19, % female = 42.63) and preclinical (BLSA) (N = 207, mean age = 78.68, % female = 42.63) AD, in which we tested their associations with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of AD-related brain atrophy, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of AD pathology, risk of conversion to incident AD, and trajectories of cognitive performance. We developed an integrated blood and brain endophenotype score that summarized the relative importance of each metabolite to severity of AD pathology and disease progression (Endophenotype Association Score in Early Alzheimer's Disease [EASE-AD]). Finally, we mapped the main metabolite classes emerging from our analyses to key biological pathways implicated in AD pathogenesis. We found that distinct sphingolipid species including sphingomyelin (SM) with acyl residue sums C16:0, C18:1, and C16:1 (SM C16:0, SM C18:1, SM C16:1) and hydroxysphingomyelin with acyl residue sum C14:1 (SM (OH) C14:1) were consistently associated with severity of AD pathology at autopsy and AD progression across prodromal and preclinical stages. Higher log-transformed blood concentrations of all four sphingolipids in cognitively normal individuals were significantly associated with increased risk of future conversion to incident AD: SM C16:0 (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.430, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.703-11.520, p = 0.002), SM C16:1 (HR = 3.455, 95% CI = 1.516-7.873, p = 0.003), SM (OH) C14:1 (HR = 3.539, 95% CI = 1.373-9.122, p = 0.009), and SM C18:1 (HR = 2.255, 95% CI = 1.047-4.855, p = 0.038). The sphingolipid species identified map to several biologically relevant pathways implicated in AD, including tau phosphorylation, amyloid-β (Aβ) metabolism, calcium homeostasis, acetylcholine biosynthesis, and apoptosis. Our study has limitations: the relatively small number of brain tissue samples may have limited our power to detect significant associations, control for heterogeneity between groups, and replicate our findings in independent, autopsy-derived brain samples. CONCLUSIONS: We present a novel framework to identify biologically relevant brain and blood metabolites associated with disease pathology and progression during the prodromal and preclinical stages of AD. Our results show that perturbations in sphingolipid metabolism are consistently associated with endophenotypes across preclinical and prodromal AD, as well as with AD pathology at autopsy. Sphingolipids may be biologically relevant biomarkers for the early detection of AD, and correcting perturbations in sphingolipid metabolism may be a plausible and novel therapeutic strategy in AD.Item Circulating lipid profiles are associated with cross-sectional and longitudinal changes of central biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease(medRxiv, 2023-06-21) Kim, Jun Pyo; Nho, Kwangsik; Wang, Tingting; Huynh, Kevin; Arnold, Matthias; Risacher, Shannon L.; Bice, Paula J.; Han, Xianlin; Kristal, Bruce S.; Blach, Colette; Baillie, Rebecca; Kastenmüller, Gabi; Meikle, Peter J.; Saykin, Andrew J.; Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative; Alzheimer’s Disease Metabolomics Consortium; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of MedicineInvestigating the association of lipidome profiles with central Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers, including amyloid/tau/neurodegeneration (A/T/N), can provide a holistic view between the lipidome and AD. We performed cross-sectional and longitudinal association analysis of serum lipidome profiles with AD biomarkers in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative cohort (N=1,395). We identified lipid species, classes, and network modules that were significantly associated with cross-sectional and longitudinal changes of A/T/N biomarkers for AD. Notably, we identified the lysoalkylphosphatidylcholine (LPC(O)) as associated with "A/N" biomarkers at baseline at lipid species, class, and module levels. Also, GM3 ganglioside showed significant association with baseline levels and longitudinal changes of the "N" biomarkers at species and class levels. Our study of circulating lipids and central AD biomarkers enabled identification of lipids that play potential roles in the cascade of AD pathogenesis. Our results suggest dysregulation of lipid metabolic pathways as precursors to AD development and progression.Item Concordant peripheral lipidome signatures in two large clinical studies of Alzheimer’s disease(Nature, 2020-11-10) Huynh, Kevin; Lim, Wei Ling Florence; Giles, Corey; Jayawardana, Kaushala S.; Salim, Agus; Mellett, Natalie A.; Smith, Adam Alexander T.; Olshansky, Gavriel; Drew, Brian G.; Chatterjee, Pratishtha; Martins, Ian; Laws, Simon M.; Bush, Ashley I.; Rowe, Christopher C.; Villemagne, Victor L.; Ames, David; Masters, Colin L.; Arnold, Matthias; Nho, Kwangsik; Saykin, Andrew J.; Baillie, Rebecca; Han, Xianlin; Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima; Martins, Ralph N.; Meikle, Peter J.; BioHealth Informatics, School of Informatics and ComputingChanges to lipid metabolism are tightly associated with the onset and pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Lipids are complex molecules comprising many isomeric and isobaric species, necessitating detailed analysis to enable interpretation of biological significance. Our expanded targeted lipidomics platform (569 species across 32 classes) allows for detailed lipid separation and characterisation. In this study we examined peripheral samples of two cohorts (AIBL, n = 1112 and ADNI, n = 800). We are able to identify concordant peripheral signatures associated with prevalent AD arising from lipid pathways including; ether lipids, sphingolipids (notably GM3 gangliosides) and lipid classes previously associated with cardiometabolic disease (phosphatidylethanolamine and triglycerides). We subsequently identified similar lipid signatures in both cohorts with future disease. Lastly, we developed multivariate lipid models that improved classification and prediction. Our results provide a holistic view between the lipidome and AD using a comprehensive approach, providing targets for further mechanistic investigation., The onset and pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with changes to lipid metabolism. Here, the authors analysed 569 lipids from 32 classes and subclasses in two independent patient cohorts to identify key lipid pathways to link the plasma lipidome with AD and the future onset of AD.Item Integrative metabolomics-genomics approach reveals key metabolic pathways and regulators of Alzheimer's disease(Wiley, 2022) Horgusluoglu, Emrin; Neff, Ryan; Song, Won-Min; Wang, Minghui; Wang, Qian; Arnold, Matthias; Krumsiek, Jan; Galindo-Prieto, Beatriz; Ming, Chen; Nho, Kwangsik; Kastenmüller, Gabi; Han, Xianlin; Baillie, Rebecca; Zeng, Qi; Andrews, Shea; Cheng, Haoxiang; Hao, Ke; Goate, Alison; Bennett, David A.; Saykin, Andrew J.; Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima; Zhang, Bin; Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI); Alzheimer Disease Metabolomics Consortium; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of MedicineMetabolites, the biochemical products of the cellular process, can be used to measure alterations in biochemical pathways related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the relationships between systemic abnormalities in metabolism and the pathogenesis of AD are poorly understood. In this study, we aim to identify AD‐specific metabolomic changes and their potential upstream genetic and transcriptional regulators through an integrative systems biology framework for analyzing genetic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, and proteomic data in AD. Metabolite co‐expression network analysis of the blood metabolomic data in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) shows short‐chain acylcarnitines/amino acids and medium/long‐chain acylcarnitines are most associated with AD clinical outcomes, including episodic memory scores and disease severity. Integration of the gene expression data in both the blood from the ADNI and the brain from the Accelerating Medicines Partnership Alzheimer's Disease (AMP‐AD) program reveals ABCA1 and CPT1A are involved in the regulation of acylcarnitines and amino acids in AD. Gene co‐expression network analysis of the AMP‐AD brain RNA‐seq data suggests the CPT1A‐ and ABCA1‐centered subnetworks are associated with neuronal system and immune response, respectively. Increased ABCA1 gene expression and adiponectin protein, a regulator of ABCA1, correspond to decreased short‐chain acylcarnitines and amines in AD in the ADNI. In summary, our integrated analysis of large‐scale multiomics data in AD systematically identifies novel metabolites and their potential regulators in AD and the findings pave a way for not only developing sensitive and specific diagnostic biomarkers for AD but also identifying novel molecular mechanisms of AD pathogenesis.Item Multi-Omic analyses characterize the ceramide/sphingomyelin pathway as a therapeutic target in Alzheimer's disease(Springer Nature, 2022-10-08) Baloni, Priyanka; Arnold, Matthias; Buitrago, Luna; Nho, Kwangsik; Moreno, Herman; Huynh, Kevin; Brauner, Barbara; Louie, Gregory; Kueider-Paisley, Alexandra; Suhre, Karsten; Saykin, Andrew J.; Ekroos, Kim; Meikle, Peter J.; Hood, Leroy; Price, Nathan D.; The Alzheimer’s Disease Metabolomics Consortium; Doraiswamy, P. Murali; Funk, Cory C.; Hernández, A. Iván; Kastenmüller, Gabi; Baillie, Rebecca; Han, Xianlin; Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of MedicineDysregulation of sphingomyelin and ceramide metabolism have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Genome-wide and transcriptome-wide association studies have identified various genes and genetic variants in lipid metabolism that are associated with Alzheimer's disease. However, the molecular mechanisms of sphingomyelin and ceramide disruption remain to be determined. We focus on the sphingolipid pathway and carry out multi-omics analyses to identify central and peripheral metabolic changes in Alzheimer's patients, correlating them to imaging features. Our multi-omics approach is based on (a) 2114 human post-mortem brain transcriptomics to identify differentially expressed genes; (b) in silico metabolic flux analysis on context-specific metabolic networks identified differential reaction fluxes; (c) multimodal neuroimaging analysis on 1576 participants to associate genetic variants in sphingomyelin pathway with Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis; (d) plasma metabolomic and lipidomic analysis to identify associations of lipid species with dysregulation in Alzheimer's; and (e) metabolite genome-wide association studies to define receptors within the pathway as a potential drug target. We validate our hypothesis in amyloidogenic APP/PS1 mice and show prolonged exposure to fingolimod alleviated synaptic plasticity and cognitive impairment in mice. Our integrative multi-omics approach identifies potential targets in the sphingomyelin pathway and suggests modulators of S1P metabolism as possible candidates for Alzheimer's disease treatment.