Distinct and common biomarkers and phenotypes in cerebral palsy and mild cognitive impairment: An exploratory study
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Background Cerebral palsy (CP) patients have accelerated aging, impairments in various pathology and anthropometry, and may develop geriatric syndromes, particularly cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate stage between healthy aging and dementia. Owing to their intriguingly parallel yet “inverted” disease trajectories, CP and MCI might share both distinct and similar pathology and phenotypes. Thus, we aimed to examine this hypothesis by developing a unique collaboration between two laboratories specialized in these two populations. Method The CP study was conducted at a clinical motion analysis laboratory at Children’s Hospital Colorado, while the MCI participants were recruited for a randomized controlled trial in Singapore. A total of eight measures, including blood biomarkers, neurocognitive and anthropometric measures were compared. Multivariate linear regressions were performed to examine the similarities and differences in these measures between the two cohorts and the associations between biomarkers and neurocognitive/ anthropometric measures, in the total and sub‐samples. Result Compared to MCI, brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower in CP, upon controlling for covariates. In CP, BDNF was significantly correlated with hs‐CRP and BMI. Furthermore, the variance of diastolic blood pressure in CP could be explained largely by chronological age. The other six measures, including impaired neurocognitive functions, were similar between CP and MCI. Conclusion These findings supported our hypothesis on both distinct and common pathology between CP and MCI, which could be partly attributed to either aging or pathophysiology. In CP, BDNF levels were lower than MCI, and it plays significant roles in inflammation and weight, whereas aging effect contributed mainly to the variability in diastolic blood pressure. Future studies using longitudinal follow‐up with larger sample sizes and examining accelerated biological aging is warranted.
Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia
DOI: 10.1002/alz.046655
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W3112450437