Abstract

Current research highlighted a degeneration of the dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems in the brain, i.e. the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the locus coeruleus (LC) at an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and alterations of catecholamines concentrations in different body fluids (CSF, plasma and urine) of AD patients and animal models. These findings imply a potential utility of catecholamines in the molecular and mechanistic AD comprehension. Following our previous work on plasma noradrenaline in the context of AD, this retrospective study includes a cohort of 105 patients (43 AD, 29 with other dementia and 32 without dementia) from the cognitive neurology center of Lariboisière (Paris) who consulted for memory complaints. We show for the first-time different relations between plasma catecholamines and AD biomarkers at cognitive (MMSE score) and molecular (CSF biomarkers concentrations) levels. Our ROC analyses illustrate the good potential of plasma catecholamines to discriminate AD from non-AD patients with a relatively low or high MMSE score. Taken together, our results support the idea that plasma catecholamines could be blood molecules implicated in AD physiopathology, opening new frontiers in the development of a blood-based AD diagnosis. 

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Catecholamines; MMSE score; Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers