Description of the Gut Microbiome Composition in Puerto Ricans with Alzheimer’s Disease Compared to Healthy Controls
Vanessa Sepulveda, Cecilia Michelle Soler‐Llompart, Ana Cecilia Sala‐Morales, Filipa Godoy‐Vitorino, Michel Santiago‐Berríos, Javier A. Ruiz‐Adames, Gerianne Olivieri‐Henry, Fabián J. Pérez‐Luzunaris, Carlos Herrero‐Rivera- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Neurology (clinical)
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Health Policy
- Epidemiology
Abstract
Background
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia, a debilitating disorder that could result in complete loss of mental functions and death. In Puerto Rico, AD is the fourth leading cause of death, while in the United States is the sixth. Evidence suggests that the gut microbiome plays a role in the pathophysiology of AD through neuroinflammation and amyloid deposition at brain. Our Objective: Study the gut microbiome composition and diversity of Puerto Ricans with AD compared to cognitive‐intact controls and associate the microbiome with cognitive impairment.
Method
We recruited 53 participants, 28 with AD and 25 controls, who underwent clinical and cognitive assessments(MoCA/CDR). Genomic DNA extractions performed on collected fecal samples. NextGen Illumina MiSeq was used to sequence 16S rRNA genes (V4 region) and analyzed with standard pipelines for microbiome species.
Result
Preliminary analyses showed no statistically significant differences between AD and controls in bacterial diversity and richness. However, AD participants showed an abundance of Euryachaeota, while controls had higher levels of Bacteroidetes. We found significant differences in alpha diversity with cognitive decline and a reduction of Roseburia ‐a known butyrate producer with protective and anti‐inflammatory properties‐ in participants with severe cognitive impairment.
Conclusion
First study in Puerto Rico comparing a neurodegenerative disease common in the aging population with the gut microbiome. The study of the Gut‐Brain‐Axis may open the possibility for preventive microbiota‐based therapies and strategies for a healthy microbiome resulting in better outcomes for our patients with and without AD.