BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia worldwide, is associated with impairment in the mechanisms of the clearing of amyloid-β within a scenario of neuroinflammation. The etiopathogenesis of the AD is unclear, but a role for viral infection is suspected to play a role in initiating the disease. We recently described a positive correlation between high titers of HSV-1-specific antibodies (Ab) and the volumes of brain regions typically affected in disease. OBJECTIVE: The exploration of a possible role for Herpesviridae in AD was extended by analyzing HHV-6-specific humoral immunity in individuals with AD or a diagnosis of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a condition that is often prodromic of the development of AD. METHODS: 59 AD, 60 aMCI, and 61 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Serum HHV-6 IgG antibody titers and avidity index were tested by ELISA. Two randomly selected subgroups of AD and aMCI in whom HHV-6 serum antibodies were detected underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by 1.5 T scanner. RESULTS: HHV-6 seroprevalence, antibody titers, and avidity were similar in the three groups. No correlation was found between Ab titers or avidity and brain volumes, either overall or in the regions typically affected by disease. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of any relation between humoral immune response against HHV-6 and AD and aMCI seems to rule out a role for this virus in the pathogenesis of AD.
BACKGROUND:Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia worldwide, is associated with impairment in the mechanisms of the clearing of amyloid-β within a scenario of neuroinflammation. The etiopathogenesis of the AD is unclear, but a role for viral infection is suspected to play a role in initiating the disease. We recently described a positive correlation between high titers of HSV-1-specific antibodies (Ab) and the volumes of brain regions typically affected in disease. OBJECTIVE: The exploration of a possible role for Herpesviridae in AD was extended by analyzing HHV-6-specific humoral immunity in individuals with AD or a diagnosis of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a condition that is often prodromic of the development of AD. METHODS: 59 AD, 60 aMCI, and 61 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Serum HHV-6 IgG antibody titers and avidity index were tested by ELISA. Two randomly selected subgroups of AD and aMCI in whom HHV-6 serum antibodies were detected underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by 1.5 T scanner. RESULTS:HHV-6 seroprevalence, antibody titers, and avidity were similar in the three groups. No correlation was found between Ab titers or avidity and brain volumes, either overall or in the regions typically affected by disease. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of any relation between humoral immune response against HHV-6 and AD and aMCI seems to rule out a role for this virus in the pathogenesis of AD.
Entities:
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease; HHV-6; humoral immunity; magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Mary Alice Allnutt; Kory Johnson; David A Bennett; Sarah M Connor; Juan C Troncoso; Olga Pletnikova; Marilyn S Albert; Susan M Resnick; Sonja W Scholz; Philip L De Jager; Steven Jacobson Journal: Neuron Date: 2020-01-23 Impact factor: 17.173
Authors: Ben Readhead; Jean-Vianney Haure-Mirande; Cory C Funk; Matthew A Richards; Paul Shannon; Vahram Haroutunian; Mary Sano; Winnie S Liang; Noam D Beckmann; Nathan D Price; Eric M Reiman; Eric E Schadt; Michelle E Ehrlich; Sam Gandy; Joel T Dudley Journal: Neuron Date: 2018-06-21 Impact factor: 17.173
Authors: Gabriel Westman; Jonas Blomberg; Zhibing Yun; Lars Lannfelt; Martin Ingelsson; Britt-Marie Eriksson Journal: Front Neurol Date: 2017-02-20 Impact factor: 4.003
Authors: Charlotte Warren-Gash; Harriet J Forbes; Elizabeth Williamson; Judith Breuer; Andrew C Hayward; Angelique Mavrodaris; Basil H Ridha; Martin N Rossor; Sara L Thomas; Liam Smeeth Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2019-03-18 Impact factor: 4.379