Blood-brain barrier in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease: the missing piece

Datos básicos

Código:

EU22/33

Dotación:

22.807,64 EUR

Año Inicial:

2023

Año final:

2024

Objetivos del proyecto

We propose to investigate BBB dysfunction as a potential preclinical event of Alzheimer’s disease, taking a comprehensive approach that will allow us to understand better the factors associated with this process. For this purpose, we will leverage an ongoing cohort study that enrolls cognitively unimpaired elders and integrates an extensive phenotyping with neuropsychology, brain MRI, and collection of plasma and CSF samples for the assessment of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers. In this project, we will use previously banked samples to assess BBB dysfunction with some markers described in the literature, the plasma/CSF ratio of albumin and the CSF concentration of Platelet Derived Grown Factor Receptor-ß (PDGFRß). These markers will enable us to compare the degree of BBB dysfunction between individuals with an Alzheimer’s CSF biomarker profile and those with a non-Alzheimer’s profile. We will also investigate potential associated factors to BBB dysfunction by quantifying white matter disease using available MRI scans, as well as assessing inflammatory markers in plasma and CSF samples. Thus, this project will be a first step to integrate BBB function into the current cascade of interactions between Alzheimer’s disease pathology, vascular damage, neuroinflammation, and brain function. This will foster our understanding of the biology of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, a crucial step to develop disease-modifying strategies.

Unidades de investigación

• ENFERMEDADES NEURODEGENERATIVAS

  

  Investigador Responsable

  Jon Infante Ceberio

  jon.infante@scsalud.es