The search of new biomarkers to identify Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Comments on an article by T. Vanmierlo et al. (see record [rid]2011-18282-003[/rid]). The original authors suggest that brassicasterol might be a relevant additional biomarker in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Brassicasterol, sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol are all plant, exogenous, sterols that enter the body only via food intake. They are similar to cholesterol, but contrary to this one are able to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and accumulate within the brain. Since the BBB and its choroid plexus have an impaired function in the early stages of AD, Vanmierlo et al. hypothesized that plant sterol concentrations in CSF are altered in AD and therefore might be relevant biomarkers for AD. The authors of this paper found that compared with controls, concentrations of plant sterols are in fact reduced in the CSF of AD patients, after controlling for relevant covariates. In both sitosterol and brassicasterol the differences were statistically significant, but remained significant only for brassicasterol when controlling for cholesterol. The current authors comment that, while Vanmierlo's proposal is attractive, new studies seem to be indispensable to confirm the clinical value of the test. The consensus in the field is that the findings reported in this type of research should be replicated in new, independent studies. It would also be important to test the validity of the procedure in AD cases with confirmed pathological diagnosis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)