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Decreased Levels of Circulating Adiponectin in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease

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Abstract

Adiponectin, an adipocytokine released by the adipose tissue and has important roles in the metabolic regulation and inflammatory control, may play an important roles in the physiopathology of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. The aim of the present work was to evaluate adiponectin serum levels in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as compared to cognitively healthy elders and to correlate these levels with clinical and cognitive parameters. We further evaluated whether circulating adiponectin levels could predict progression from MCI to Alzheimer’s disease upon follow-up. We recruited 157 subjects (41 with AD, 65 with MCI and 51 elderly controls) in the baseline assessment. Follow-up data were available for 54 subjects with MCI and 43 controls in whom we ascertained the conversion to AD and the progression of cognitive impairment. Adiponectin was assayed by sandwich ELISA. Serum levels of adiponectin were significantly lower in MCI and AD as compared to controls (p < 0.001). After controlling for age, educational level and APOE genotype, adiponectin levels remained significantly reduced in these groups (p < 0.001). Circulating adiponectin levels did not predict cognitive decline in the elderly controls (i.e., progression from normal cognition to MCI) or progression to Alzheimer’s disease in subjects with MCI. We conclude that lower levels of adiponectin were associated with cognitive dysfunction, though it did not predict additional cognitive decline and conversion to dementia in this cohort of elderly subjects. Decreased adiponectin may be a surrogate marker of the pathological process in AD, linking clinical comorbidities, inflammation and cognitive dysfunction.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brazil), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de Minas Gerais (Fapemig, Brazil), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de São Paulo (FAPESP Grant no. 09/52825-8, Brazil) and Associação Beneficente Alzira Denise Hertzog da Silva (ABADHS).

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Group of Neuroimmunology, Laboratory of Immunopharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences and School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Antonio L. Teixeira, Alline C. Campos, Aline S. Miranda & Natalia P. Rocha

  2. Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM 27), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Rua Dr. Ovidio Pires de Campos, 785 3rd floor, São Paulo, SP, 05403-010, Brazil

    Breno S. Diniz, Leda L. Talib, Wagner F. Gattaz & Orestes V. Forlenza

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  1. Antonio L. Teixeira
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  2. Breno S. Diniz
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  3. Alline C. Campos
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  4. Aline S. Miranda
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  7. Wagner F. Gattaz
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  8. Orestes V. Forlenza
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Correspondence to Breno S. Diniz.

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Antonio L. Teixeira and Breno S. Diniz contributed equally to this study.

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Teixeira, A.L., Diniz, B.S., Campos, A.C. et al. Decreased Levels of Circulating Adiponectin in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease. Neuromol Med 15, 115–121 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12017-012-8201-2

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