Kim Jee Wook, Byun Min Soo, Yi Dahyun, Jung Joon Hyung, Kong Nayeong, Chang Yoon Young, Jung Gijung, Ahn Hyejin, Lee Jun-Young, Kang Koung Mi, Sohn Chul-Ho, Lee Yun-Sang, Kim Yu Kyeong, Lee Dong Young
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, 7 Keunjaebong-gil, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, 18450, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Gangwon, 24252, Republic of Korea.
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
J Prev Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Jan;12(1):100012. doi: 10.1016/j.tjpad.2024.100012. Epub 2025 Jan 1.
The neuropathological links underlying the association between changes in liver function and AD have not yet been clearly elucidated.
We aimed to examine the relationship between liver function markers and longitudinal changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) core pathologies.
Data from the Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease, a longitudinal cohort study initiated in 2014, were utilized.
Community and memory clinic setting.
Three hundred forty-seven older adults.
Participants underwent baseline and 2-year follow-up evaluations, including liver function assessments and various brain imaging techniques, such as amyloid and tau PET, FDG-PET, and MRI). Liver function indicators [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and total bilirubin] were examined as exposure variables.
Higher baseline ALT levels were associated with a greater increase in beta-amyloid deposition over 2 years [β = 0.166, Bonferroni-corrected P (P) = 0.012], while lower total bilirubin levels were associated with a greater increase in tau deposition over the same period (β = -0.570, P < 0.001). In contrast, AST alone showed no significant association with changes of AD pathologies.
The findings suggest a possible link between lower liver function and the accumulation of core AD pathologies in the brain. These results also support the possibility that the liver-brain axis could be a potential target for therapeutic or preventive strategies against AD.
肝功能变化与阿尔茨海默病（AD）之间关联背后的神经病理学联系尚未明确阐明。
我们旨在研究肝功能标志物与阿尔茨海默病（AD）核心病理学纵向变化之间的关系。
利用了韩国阿尔茨海默病早期诊断与预测脑老化研究的数据，这是一项于2014年启动的纵向队列研究。
社区和记忆诊所环境。
347名老年人。
参与者接受了基线和2年的随访评估，包括肝功能评估以及各种脑成像技术，如淀粉样蛋白和tau蛋白PET、FDG - PET和MRI）。肝功能指标[丙氨酸氨基转移酶（ALT）、天冬氨酸氨基转移酶（AST）和总胆红素]作为暴露变量进行检测。
较高的基线ALT水平与2年内β - 淀粉样蛋白沉积的更大增加相关[β = 0.166，Bonferroni校正P值（P）= 0.012]，而较低的总胆红素水平与同期tau蛋白沉积的更大增加相关（β = -0.570，P < 0.001）。相比之下，单独的AST与AD病理学变化无显著关联。
研究结果表明肝功能降低与大脑中AD核心病理学积累之间可能存在联系。这些结果也支持肝 - 脑轴可能成为AD治疗或预防策略潜在靶点的可能性。
