AUTHOR=Chen Ying , Li Tao-Ran , Hao Shu-Wen , Wang Xiao-Ni , Cai Yan-Ning , Han Ying 

TITLE=Blood NCAPH2 Methylation Is Associated With Hippocampal Volume in Subjective Cognitive Decline With Apolipoprotein E ε4 Non-carriers

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.632382

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2021.632382

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> This study assessed the methylation of peripheral <italic>NCAPH2</italic> in individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), identified its correlation with the hippocampal volume, and explored whether the correlation is influenced by apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE ε4) status.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Cognitively normal controls (NCs, <italic>n</italic> = 56), individuals with SCD (<italic>n</italic> = 81), and patients with objective cognitive impairment (OCI, <italic>n</italic> = 51) were included from the Sino Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Decline (NCT03370744). All participants completed neuropsychological assessments, blood tests, and structural MRI. <italic>NCAPH2</italic> methylation was compared according to the diagnostic and APOE ε4 status. Partial correlation analysis was conducted to assess the correlations between the hippocampal volume, cognitive tests, and the <italic>NCAPH2</italic> methylation levels.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Individuals with SCD and patients with OCI showed significantly lower levels of <italic>NCAPH2</italic> methylation than NCs, which were independent of the APOE ε4 status. The <italic>NCAPH2</italic> methylation levels and the hippocampal volumes were positively correlated in the SCD <italic>APOE</italic> ε4 non-carriers but not in the OCI group. No association was found between the <italic>NCAPH2</italic> methylation levels and the cognitive function.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Abnormal changes in blood <italic>NCAPH2</italic> methylation were found to occur in SCD, indicating its potential to be used as a useful peripheral biomarker in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease screening.</p>