Serum Adiponectin Levels, Neuroimaging, and Cognition in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Wennberg, Alexandra M.V.^a | Gustafson, Deborah^b | Hagen, Clinton E.^a | Roberts, Rosebud O.^{a; d} | Knopman, David^d | Jack Jr, Clifford^c | Petersen, Ronald C.^{a; d} | Mielke, Michelle M.^{a; d; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA | [b] Department of Neurology, State University of New York– Downstate Medical Center, NY, USA | [c] Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA | [d] Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Michelle M. Mielke, PhD, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. Tel.: +1 507 293 1069; Fax: +1 507 284 1516; E-mail: Mielke.Michelle@mayo.edu.

Abstract: Background: Adiponectin, a protein involved in inflammatory pathways, may impact the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Adiponectin levels have been associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD; however, its association with Alzheimer-associated neuroimaging and cognitive outcomes is unknown. Objective: Determine the cross-sectional association between plasma adiponectin and neuroimaging and cognitive outcomes in an older population-based sample. Methods: Multivariable adjusted regression models were used to investigate the association between plasma adiponectin and hippocampal volume (HVa), PiB-PET, FDG PET, cortical thickness, MCI diagnosis, and neuropsychological test performance. Analyses included 535 non-demented participants aged 70 and older enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. Results: Women had higher adiponectin than men (12,631 ng/mL versus 8,908 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Among women, higher adiponectin was associated with smaller HVa (B = –0.595; 95% CI –1.19, –0.005), poorer performance in language (B = –0.676; 95% CI –1.23, –0.121), and global cognition (B = –0.459; 95% CI –0.915, –0.002), and greater odds of a MCI diagnosis (OR = 6.23; 95% CI 1.20, 32.43). In analyses stratified by sex and elevated amyloid (PiB-PET SUVR >1.4), among women with elevated amyloid, higher adiponectin was associated with smaller HVa (B = –0.723; 95% CI –1.43, –0.014), poorer performance in memory (B = –1.02; 95% CI –1.73, –0.312), language (B = –0.896; 95% CI –1.58, –0.212), global cognition (B = –0.650; 95% CI –1.18, –0.116), and greater odds of MCI (OR = 19.34; 95% CI 2.72, 137.34). Conclusion: Higher plasma adiponectin was associated with neuroimaging and cognitive outcomes among women. Longitudinal analyses are necessary to determine whether higher adiponectin predicts neurodegeneration and cognitive decline.

Keywords: Adiponectin, amyloid-PET, cognition, FDG-PET, hippocampal volume, mild cognitive impairment

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-151201

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 573-581, 2016