Blood serum miRNA: Non-invasive biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease

There is an urgent need to identify non-invasive biomarkers for the detection of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). We previously studied microRNAs (miRNAs) in AD autopsy brain samples and reported a connection between miR-137, -181c, -9, -29a/b and AD, through the regulation of ceramides. In this study, the potential role of these miRNAs as diagnostic markers for AD was investigated. We identified that these miRNAs were down-regulated in the blood serum of probable AD patients. The levels of these miRNAs were also reduced in the serum of AD risk factor models. Although the ability of these miRNAs to conclusively diagnose for AD is currently unknown, our findings suggest a potential use for circulating miRNAs, along with other markers, as non-invasive and relatively inexpensive biomarkers for the early diagnosis of AD, however, with further research and validation. (c) 2011 Published by Elsevier Inc.