Association of CSF neurogenin-1 levels with cognitive decline and structural MRI features in older adults.

Neurogenesis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the relationship between CSF neurogenin-1 levels and cognitive decline, as well as neurodegeneration in older adults, both with and without cognitive impairment, remains unclear. The current study included 666 individuals, comprising 161 cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults and 505 cognitively impaired (CI) older adults. To examine the association of CSF neurogenin-1 levels with changes in cognitive performance and neurodegeneration over time, we performed a series of linear mixed-effects models. In these models, baseline CSF neurogenin-1 levels served as the predictor of interest, while cognitive measures, such as Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, and hippocampal and ventricular volumes, served as the dependent variables. Higher CSF neurogenin-1 levels were associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline over time in the CI individuals but not in the CU individuals. Regarding structural MRI features, we found that higher baseline CSF neurogenin-1 levels were associated with a slower rate of ventricular enlargement in the CI individuals but not in the CU individuals. No association was observed between CSF neurogenin-1 levels and hippocampal atrophy in either group. Our findings suggest that neurogenin-1 may play a neuroprotective role in CI individuals, potentially slowing cognitive decline and structural brain changes associated with the disease.