We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




Ratio of Serum Very-long-chain to Long-chain Ceramides Is Predictive of Dementia Risk

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 24 Feb 2020
Results obtained by a large community-based study showed that the ratio of very long‐chain to long‐chain ceramides in the blood was associated with risk of developing various types of dementia including Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Ceramides are a family of waxy lipid molecules composed of sphingosine and a fatty acid. More...
Ceramides are found in high concentrations within the cell membrane of eukaryotic cells, since they are component lipids that make up sphingomyelin, one of the major lipids in the lipid bilayer. Contrary to previous assumptions that ceramides and other sphingolipids found in cell membranes were purely supporting structural elements, ceramides have been shown to participate in a variety of cellular signalling roles: examples include regulating differentiation, proliferation, and programmed cell death.

Recently, attention has focused on the role of circulating ratios of a very‐long‐chain (C24:0, C22:0) to long‐chain (C16:0) ceramides as biomarkers for major vascular events and the possibility that these ratios may be of greater diagnostic and prognostic value for cardiovascular outcomes compared to total ceramide levels or concentrations of individual ceramide species. Furthermore, it has been hypothesized that the adverse cognitive effects of ceramides may be related to the relative proportions of circulating very long‐chain to long‐chain fatty acyl chains rather than simply due to elevated total ceramide levels.

To examine this hypothesis, investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA, USA) compared levels of very-long chain and long-chain ceramides in blood samples from 1,892 participants (mean age 70.1 years) in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort. The investigators analyzed the risk of dementia, MRI structural measures of vascular brain injury, and beta-amyloid burden on brain PET (positron emission tomography) scans.

Results revealed that during a median 6.5 year follow‐up, 81 participants developed dementia, of whom 60 were diagnosed with AD dementia. Each standard deviation (SD) increment in the ratio of ceramides C24:0/C16:0 was associated with a 27% reduction in the risk of dementia and AD dementia. The ratio of ceramides C22:0/C16:0 was also inversely associated with incident dementia.

Very-long-chain fatty acyl ceramides are important for myelin function and may have a protective effect against dementia, while long-chain ceramide species are linked with deleterious pro-inflammatory and apoptotic effects. Therefore, circulating ceramide ratios may serve as potential biomarkers for predicting dementia risk in cognitively healthy adults.

"Our findings indicate that circulating ceramide ratios may be useful predictors of future dementia risk and may have a role in predicting dementia at an early, preclinical stage, when the greatest opportunity for disease modification exists," said first author Dr. Emer McGrath, associate neurologist in the department of neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "However, these results will require replication in other cohorts."

The study was published in the January 16, 2020, online edition of the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.

Related Links:
Brigham and Women's Hospital


New
Gold Member
Quality Control Material
iPLEX Pro Exome QC Panel
3-Part Differential Hematology Analyzer
Swelab Alfa Plus Sampler
New
Chlamydia Trachomatis Test
Aptima Chlamydia Trachomatis Assay
New
Silver Member
Autoimmune Hepatitis Test
LKM-1-Ab ELISA
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.