Preprint: Proteomics signatures associated with cognitive trajectories: evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

WHY IT MATTERS

If validated, these protein signatures could enable blood tests to identify people at risk for cognitive decline years before symptoms develop, potentially opening windows for preventive treatments in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Researchers studied blood proteins in over 2,400 older adults to find which ones might predict memory and thinking problems later in life. They found 34 proteins linked to faster decline in orientation (knowing where you are and what time it is) and 18 proteins linked to memory loss over 15 years. This early-stage research could help doctors identify people at risk for dementia before symptoms appear.

Proteomics signatures associated with cognitive trajectories: evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing Authors: Gong, J. et al. Server: medRxiv Category: epidemiology Abstract: Alzheimers disease and related dementias (ADRD) pose a growing global health challenge, with early detection critical to slowing cognitive decline and prevent ADRD. We analyzed high-throughput plasma proteomics in 2,460 cognitively healthy adults from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) to identify proteins linked to 15-year cognitive trajectories, including verbal fluency, episodic memory, and orientation. Mixed-effect linear models revealed 34 proteins associated with faster orientation decline and 18 with accelerated episodic memory decline. Enrichment analyses implicate extrace