Associations of Alcohol Consumption with Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease Pathology in Cognitively Intact Older Adults: The CABLE Study

Background: The relationship between alcohol consumption and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology is unclear. Amyloid-beta (A beta) and tau biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have been proven valuable in establishing prognosis in pre-clinical AD. Objective: We sought to examine the associations between alcohol consumption and CSF AD biomarkers in cognitive intact subjects. Methods: A total of 806 cognitively intact participants who had measurements of CSF A beta, pTau, and total Tau proteins and drinking characteristics were included from the Chinese Alzheimer's Biomarker and Lifestyle (CABLE) study. Linear and logistic regression analyses were utilized to explore the associations of alcohol consumption with CSF AD biomarkers. We examined the interaction effects of age, gender, and apolipoprotein epsilon (APOE) epsilon 4 status on the relationships between the frequency of drinking and CSF biomarkers. Results: The multiple linear regression analyses revealed significant differences in CSF AD biomarkers between infrequent drinking (< 1 times/week) and frequent drinking groups (>= 1 times/week). Participants in frequent drinking group had higher CSF p-tau/A beta(42) and tTau/A beta(42). Frequent drinking was significantly associated with greater pTau and tTau abnormalities compared to the infrequent drinking group in older (> 65 years) participants. Conclusion: The present study showed significant associations between drinking frequency and CSF AD biomarkers in cognitively intact older adults. Alcohol consumption may have an influence on AD by modulating amyloid deposition and tau phosphorylation in the preclinical stage.

Automated summary

This study examined the associations between alcohol consumption and CSF AD biomarkers in cognitively intact older adults, revealing that frequent drinking was significantly associated with higher CSF p-Tau/Aβ and tTau/Aβ levels. Additionally, frequent drinking was found to be related to greater pTau and tTau abnormalities in older participants.