The following is a summary of “Cerebrospinal fluid NPTX2 changes and relationship with regional brain metabolism metrics across mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease,” published in the December 2023 issue of Neurology by Massa et al.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF Neuronal pentraxin-2 (NPTX2) levels in mild cognitive impairment (MCI)- Alzheimer’s disease (AD) displayed distinct patterns, revealing potential connections to brain metabolism and paving the way for improved patient stratification and understanding of AD progression.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to illuminate NPTX2 variations in MCI-AD CSF and its link to brain metabolism, aiming to refine patient stratification and understand AD pathophysiology.

They analyzed 49 MCI-AD patients categorized by time until dementia (34 in EMCI progressing within 2 years; 15 in LMCI progressing later/stable at follow-up). Demographic variables, cognitive status, and CSF NPTX2 levels were assessed using an ELISA assay in EMCI, LMCI, and age-/sex-matched  other non-dementing disorders (OND). Utilizing [¹⁸F]FDG PET scans for voxel-based analysis, correlations between regional brain metabolism metrics and CSF NPTX2 levels in MCI-AD patients were explored while considering age.

The results showed lower baseline and follow-up MMSE scores in LMCI than EMCI (P=0.006 and P<0.001). EMCI showed higher CSF NPTX2 values than LMCI (P=0.028) and OND (P=0.006). A positive correlation was found between NPTX2 values and bilateral precuneus metabolism in MCI-AD patients (P<0.005 at voxel level, P<0.05 with family-wise error correction at the cluster level).

They concluded that MCI-AD CSF NPTX2 levels varied, mirroring disease stages and linking to brain metabolism – a potential staging and progression biomarker.

Source: springer.com/article/10.1007/s00415-023-12154-7