APOE [epsilon]4 Allele Is Associated with Elevated Levels of CSF VILIP-1 in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease

Objectives: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) visinin-like protein 1 (VILIP-1) has been suggested as a biomarker for neuron injury, which has been shown to have a important diagnostic value in symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study purpose is investigating potential effects of apolipoprotein E (APOE) [epsilon]4 on CSF VILIP-1 levels among the preclinical AD. Methods: A total of 110 subjects (including 43 APOE [epsilon]4 carriers and 67 [epsilon]4 non-carriers) were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) in the present study. Results: The results showed that VILIP-1 concentrations in the CSF were statistically significantly increased in APOE [epsilon]4 carriers in comparison with non-carriers. Increased CSF VILIP-1 level was positively associated with the concentrations of both CSF-tau and P-tau levels. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that APOE [epsilon]4 might affect CSF VILIP-1 level in preclinical AD, indicating an important role of APOE [epsilon]4 in neuron injury leading to AD. Keywords: APOE [epsilon]4, VILIP-1, Alzheimer's disease, cerebrospinal fluid