Impact of serum leptin and adiponectin levels on brain infarcts in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: a longitudinal analysis

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024 Apr 15:15:1389014. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1389014. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Introduction: The adipokines leptin and adiponectin have been associated with atherosclerosis and the risk of cerebral infarcts. Pre-clinical studies, however, suggest a protective role against ischemic brain damage. In this study we analyzed the relationship between serum leptin and adiponectin levels and the onset or progression of brain infarcts in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: All data were extracted from the ADNI database. The final population included 566 subjects, with 58 healthy controls, 396 MCI and 112 AD. All patients with available serum leptin and adiponectin levels at baseline were selected. Demographics, neuropsychological test results, CSF biomarkers, regional brain metabolism with FDG-PET data and the number of brain infarcts on longitudinal MRI scans were extracted.

Results: Leptin levels were significantly lower in patients with MCI than controls at baseline, while adiponectin levels were not different between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis at baseline for the presence of brain infarcts showed a predictive value for leptin but not for adiponectin. Multivariate longitudinal analysis showed that age was the only significant predictor of brain infarcts development at 15-year follow-up, while serum leptin and adiponectin levels did not play a role in this population.

Discussion: The evidence on the pathogenetic or protective role of adipokines on ischemic brain damage is mixed. In this MCI and AD population, serum leptin and adiponectin were not associated with the development of brain infarcts; therefore, these results do not support the use of adipokines as biomarkers of cerebrovascular pathology in this population.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; MR imaging; adiponectin; brain infarcts; leptin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adiponectin* / blood
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Alzheimer Disease* / blood
  • Biomarkers* / blood
  • Brain Infarction* / blood
  • Brain Infarction* / complications
  • Brain Infarction* / diagnostic imaging
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cognitive Dysfunction* / blood
  • Cognitive Dysfunction* / etiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Leptin* / blood
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Middle Aged

Substances

  • Adiponectin
  • Leptin
  • Biomarkers
  • ADIPOQ protein, human
  • LEP protein, human

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The authors acknowledge co-funding from Next Generation EU, in the context of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Investment PE8 – Project Age-It: “Ageing Well in an Ageing Society”. This resource was co-financed by the Next Generation EU [DM 1557 11.10.2022]. The views and opinions expressed are only those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.