Gut Microbiome Compositional and Functional Features Associate with Alzheimer's Disease Pathology

Overview

Journal medRxiv

Date 2024 Sep 16

PMID 39281749

Authors

Jea Woo Kang

Lora A Khatib

Margo B Heston

Amanda H Dilmore

Jennifer S Labus

Yuetiva Deming

Leyla Schimmel

Colette Blach

Daniel McDonald

Antonio Gonzalez

MacKenzie Bryant

Karenina Sanders

Ara Schwartz

Tyler K Ulland

Sterling C Johnson

Sanjay Asthana

Cynthia M Carlsson

Nathaniel A Chin

Kaj Blennow

Henrik Zetterberg

Federico E Rey

Rima Kaddurah-Daouk

Rob Knight

Barbara B Bendlin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The gut microbiome is a potentially modifiable factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, understanding of its composition and function regarding AD pathology is limited.

Methods: Shallow-shotgun metagenomic data was used to analyze fecal microbiome from participants enrolled in the Wisconsin Microbiome in Alzheimer's Risk Study, leveraging clinical data and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers. Differential abundance and ordinary least squares regression analyses were performed to find differentially abundant gut microbiome features and their associations with CSF biomarkers of AD and related pathologies.

Results: Gut microbiome composition and function differed between people with AD and cognitively unimpaired individuals. The compositional difference was replicated in an independent cohort. Differentially abundant gut microbiome features were associated with CSF biomarkers of AD and related pathologies.

Discussion: These findings enhance our understanding of alterations in gut microbial composition and function in AD, and suggest that gut microbes and their pathways are linked to AD pathology.

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