Anti-RAGE and Aβ immunoglobulin levels are related to dementia level and cognitive performance

Abstract

Background. Blood-based immunoglobulins (IgGs) may mark the presence of amyloid plaques characterizing the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies suggest that anti-RAGE and anti-Aβ IgGs increase proportionately with accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides at receptor sites for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), within cortical areas of brain tissue. We assessed the relationship between these potential markers and an AD-type cognitive profile. We hypothesized that these specific IgG levels would be positively correlated with Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scores as well as index scores on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) in domains associated with cortical function. Methods. Participants were 118 older adults (mean age = 74, standard deviation = 10.5) drawn from the community and local physician referrals. Participants were reassigned into five groups based on CDR. Blood IgG levels were determined through an affinity purification process. Results. Analysis of covariance analyses revealed that CDR scores were significantly related to anti-RAGE, F (4,106) = 12.93, p