Gut microbiome composition may be an indicator of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology is thought to progress from normal cognition through preclinical disease and ultimately to symptomatic AD with cognitive impairment. Recent work suggests that the gut microbiome of symptomatic patients with AD has an altered taxonomic composition compared with that of healthy, cognitively normal control individuals. However, knowledge about changes in the gut microbiome before the onset of symptomatic AD is limited. In this cross-sectional study that accounted for clinical covariates and dietary intake, we compared the taxonomic composition and gut microbial function in a cohort of 164 cognitively normal individuals, 49 of whom showed biomarker evidence of early preclinical…

• WU
  Washington University in St. Louis

  Awards: NIDDK P30 DK052574, P30 DK052574
• CF
  Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis
• NI
  National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

  Awards: DK052574, P30 DK052574