Osteoarthritis accelerates the development of Alzheimer's disease
Osteoarthritis increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease among older adults who test positive for beta-amyloid. Osteoarthritis is associated with more rapid accumulation of beta-amyloid and a higher degree of tau protein deposition in motor and somatosensory regions of the brain. This discovery helps to better understand the possible pathways influencing the mechanism of Alzheimer's disease development.Researchers from the Institute of Biomedical Technology, Peking University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Cancer Research and Guangzhou University Neurology Center studied the relationship between osteoarthritis and Alzheimer's disease. They evaluated the effect of osteoarthritis in combination with the APOE-ε4 gene, responsible for the development of Alzheimer's disease, on the accumulation of beta-amyloid tau protein in primary motor and somatosensory areas of the brain in beta-amyloid-positive older adults. The results of the study are published in the journal Neurology.
They analyzed three years of data from 374 elderly participants with osteoarthritis. The average age was 75 years, and 63% of them were carriers of the APOE-ε4 gene. All participants underwent serial positron emission tomography. For five years, the scientists monitored the accumulation of beta-amyloid and tau protein in the motor (precentral) and somatosensory (postcentral) areas of the cerebral cortex.
It appeared that over time it was osteoarthritis, not the APOE-ε4 gene, that was associated with more rapid accumulation of beta-amyloid in the postcentral zone. Moreover, osteoarthritis increased tau protein levels to a greater extent in the precentral and postcentral cortical areas. The researchers also found that together, osteoarthritis and the APOE-ε4 gene showed more pronounced deposition of tau protein in the precentral and postcentral zones over time.
Thus, the researchers hypothesized an association between osteoarthritis and more rapid accumulation of beta-amyloid and increased tau protein deposition in primary motor and somatosensory areas of the brain. The findings provide new insights into how osteoarthritis increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and present clues to possibly slowing this process.