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Alzheimer's Research & Therapy
Published in: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research

Associations of thyroid hormone serum levels with in-vivo Alzheimer’s disease pathologies

Authors: Hyo Jung Choi, Min Soo Byun, Dahyun Yi, Bo Kyung Sohn, Jun Ho Lee, Jun-Young Lee, Yu Kyung Kim, Dong Young Lee, for the KBASE Research Group

Published in: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

The present study investigated the relationships between thyroid hormone serum levels or thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and two Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-specific biomarkers, cerebral amyloid beta (Aβ) burden and glucose metabolism, in AD-signature brain regions in cognitively normal (CN) middle-aged and older individuals.

Methods

This study assessed 148 CN individuals who received comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological assessments that included 11C-Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB)-positron emission tomography (PET) scans, 18F-deoxyglucose (FDG)-PET scans, and the quantification of serum triiodothyronine (T3), free T3, free thyroxine (fT4), and TSH levels.

Results

All participants were clinically euthyroid. Independent negative associations were found between serum fT4 levels and global cerebral Aβ deposition after controlling for the effects of age, gender, and the apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOEε4) genotype. Although serum TSH levels were not associated with global cerebral Aβ deposition, they had a significant negative association with glucose metabolism in the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex after controlling for age, gender, and the APOEε4 genotype. No other thyroid hormones exhibited relationships with either brain Aβ burden or glucose metabolism.

Conclusions

Even in a clinical euthyroid state, low serum fT4 and high serum TSH levels appear to be differentially associated with AD-specific brain changes.
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Metadata
Title
Associations of thyroid hormone serum levels with in-vivo Alzheimer’s disease pathologies
Authors
Hyo Jung Choi
Min Soo Byun
Dahyun Yi
Bo Kyung Sohn
Jun Ho Lee
Jun-Young Lee
Yu Kyung Kim
Dong Young Lee
for the KBASE Research Group
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Alzheimer's Research & Therapy / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1758-9193
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-017-0291-5

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