Skip to main content

Gut Microbial Taxonomic Profiles Differ With, Without Preclinical Alzheimer Disease

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 16, 2023 -- Gut microbial taxonomic profiles are distinct for individuals with and without preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD), according to a study published in the June 14 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

Aura L. Ferreiro, Ph.D., from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study to compare the taxonomic composition and gut microbial function in a cohort of 164 cognitively normal individuals, 49 of whom showed biomarker evidence of early preclinical AD. Participants were recruited from existing longitudinal cohort studies.

The researchers observed an association for the change in gut microbiome composition with altered β-amyloid and tau pathological biomarkers in the brain, but not with biomarkers of neurodegeneration. Specific gut bacterial taxa associated with preclinical AD were identified. Gut species most linked to preclinical AD status included Dorea formicigenerans, Oscillibacter sp. 57_20, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Coprococcus catus, and Anaerostipes hadrus. When tested on a subset of the cohort (65 of 164 participants), inclusion of these microbiome features improved the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of machine learning classifiers for predicting AD status.

"Microbiome markers in stool might complement early screening measures for preclinical AD and generate encouraging hypotheses about potential roles of the gut in AD progression," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Digestive Disease Week, May 18-21

Digestive Disease Week, the annual meeting sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American Gastroenterological Association, American Society for...

Odds of Death Lower With Surgery for Hip Fracture in Patients With Dementia

MONDAY, June 3, 2024 -- For community-dwelling patients with dementia and fracture of the femoral head and neck, the odds of death are lower for those treated surgically...

Preeclampsia Linked to Increased Risk for Young-Onset Dementia

FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- Individuals with preeclampsia have an increased risk for young-onset dementia, according to a research letter published online May 30 in JAMA Network...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.