Diacylglycerols as biomarkers of sustained immune activation in Proteinopathies associated with dementia

Abstract

Cognitive decline is a devastating clinical condition, heavily correlated with age progression. In the cases of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Lewy body disease, the common neuropathologies are proteinopathies and neuroinflammation. Herein, we review current lipidomics findings and conclude that brain and circulating diacylglycerols represent biomarkers of this ongoing sustained immune response, presumably involving microglia. We further hypothesize that a logical next step will be to evaluate biomarkers of immune activation in a cohort of patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and subsequently attempt to provide therapeutic intervention with anti-inflammatory therapy in MCI patients with immune activation. Although this is an urgent and theoretically safe therapeutic trial, it will likely necessitate government support.

Keywords: Cognitive dysfunction; Diacylglycerols; Immune activation; Neuroinflammation; Proteinopathies.