Cited by 2,137Gut microbiota and healthAlzheimer's disease research and treatmentsDementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

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Gut microbiome alterations in Alzheimer’s disease

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Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. However, the etiopathogenesis of this devastating disease is not fully understood. Recent studies in rodents suggest that alterations in the gut microbiome may contribute to amyloid deposition, yet the microbial communities associated with AD have not been characterized in humans. Towards this end, we characterized the bacterial taxonomic composition of fecal samples from participants with and without a diagnosis of dementia due to AD. Our analyses revealed that the gut microbiome of AD participants has decreased microbial diversity and is compositionally distinct from control age- and sex-matched individuals. We identified phylum- through genus-wide differences in bacterial abundance including decreased Firmicutes, increased Bacteroidetes, and decreased Bifidobacterium in the microbiome of AD participants. Furthermore, we observed correlations between levels of differentially abundant genera and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of AD. These findings add AD to the growing list of diseases associated with gut microbial alterations, as well as suggest that gut bacterial communities may be a target for therapeutic intervention.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41598-017-13601-y

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Figures

Figure 1 Alzheimer’s disease is associated with alterations in gut microbiome composition. (A) Faith’s Phylogenetic Diversity is decreased in the microbiome of AD participants. *p < 0.05. (B) Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) plot of weighted UniFrac analysis of relative sample OTU composition. NMDS analysis was limited to two dimensions, with a stress measurement of 0.17. Each dot represents a scaled measure of the composition of a given participant, color- and shape-coded by cohort. (C) Differential abundance analysis identified 14 OTUs that were increased and 68 OTUs that were decreased in AD relative to Control participants (p < 0.05, FDR-corrected). Each point represents an OTU. Data plotted as log2 fold change; OTUs to the right of the zero line are more abundant and OTUs to the left of the zero line are less abundant in AD compared to Control groups. OTUs are organized on the y-axis according to the lowest taxonomic classification possible. (D) OTUs grouped at the phylum level and analyzed using Metastats show that AD participants have decreased abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, and increased abundance of Bacteroidetes compared to Control participants (p < 0.05, FDR-corrected). Tukey plots show median, IQR, and participant data points for phylum relative abundance.
Figure 1 Alzheimer’s disease is associated with alterations in gut microbiome composition. (A) Faith’s Phylogenetic Diversity is decreased in the microbiome of AD participants. *p < 0.05. (B) Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) plot of weighted UniFrac analysis of relative sample OTU composition. NMDS analysis was limited to two dimensions, with a stress measurement of 0.17. Each dot represents a scaled measure of the composition of a given participant, color- and shape-coded by cohort. (C) Differential abundance analysis identified 14 OTUs that were increased and 68 OTUs that were decreased in AD relative to Control participants (p < 0.05, FDR-corrected). Each point represents an OTU. Data plotted as log2 fold change; OTUs to the right of the zero line are more abundant and OTUs to the left of the zero line are less abundant in AD compared to Control groups. OTUs are organized on the y-axis according to the lowest taxonomic classification possible. (D) OTUs grouped at the phylum level and analyzed using Metastats show that AD participants have decreased abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, and increased abundance of Bacteroidetes compared to Control participants (p < 0.05, FDR-corrected). Tukey plots show median, IQR, and participant data points for phylum relative abundance.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 2 Bacterial families and genera differentially represented in feces from AD participants compared to Control participants (p < 0.05, FDR-corrected). Tukey plots are colored by phylum and show median, IQR, and participant data points for genus or family relative abundance.
Figure 2 Bacterial families and genera differentially represented in feces from AD participants compared to Control participants (p < 0.05, FDR-corrected). Tukey plots are colored by phylum and show median, IQR, and participant data points for genus or family relative abundance.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 3 Bacterial taxa correlate with CSF biomarkers of AD pathology. 13 genera identified as differentially abundant in AD were correlated with CSF biomarkers of AD including the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio (with lower CSF levels reflecting greater amyloid deposition in the brain), phosphorylated tau (p-tau), and the p-tau/Aβ42 ratio (which incorporates both facets of AD pathology). Correlations were calculated separately for all 40 participants (All), 31 non-demented participants (ND), and 9 AD participants (AD). In general, genera identified as more abundant in AD were associated with greater AD pathology, while genera identified as less abundant in AD were associated with less AD pathology. Genera are ordered from most to least abundant. Shape and color of ellipses represent strength of Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients (rho). Bolded ellipse borders represent significant correlations (two-sided, p < 0.05 uncorrected).
Figure 3 Bacterial taxa correlate with CSF biomarkers of AD pathology. 13 genera identified as differentially abundant in AD were correlated with CSF biomarkers of AD including the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio (with lower CSF levels reflecting greater amyloid deposition in the brain), phosphorylated tau (p-tau), and the p-tau/Aβ42 ratio (which incorporates both facets of AD pathology). Correlations were calculated separately for all 40 participants (All), 31 non-demented participants (ND), and 9 AD participants (AD). In general, genera identified as more abundant in AD were associated with greater AD pathology, while genera identified as less abundant in AD were associated with less AD pathology. Genera are ordered from most to least abundant. Shape and color of ellipses represent strength of Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients (rho). Bolded ellipse borders represent significant correlations (two-sided, p < 0.05 uncorrected).CC BY · PubMed Central

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Metadata

Authors
Vogt, N. M., Kerby, R. L., Dill-McFarland, K. A., Harding, S. J., Merluzzi, A. P., Johnson, S. C., Carlsson, C. M., Asthana, S., Zetterberg, H., Blennow, K., Bendlin, B. B., & Rey, F. E.
Affiliations
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
  • Sahlgrenska University Hospital (SE)
Corresponding author
  • Bendlin, Barbara B.
  • Rey, Federico E.
Venue
Scientific Reports
Published
2017-10-19
Volume
7
Issue
1
Pages
13537-13537
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2761210275
Cited by
2,137
References
83
Citations by year
2026: 205 · 2025: 322 · 2024: 328 · 2023: 269 · 2022: 339 · 2021: 283 · 2020: 205 · 2019: 119 · 2018: 64 · 2017: 1
FWCI
43.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Alzheimer's Association (R01 AG027161, R01 AG037639, R01 AG021155)
  • Torsten Söderbergs Stiftelse
  • Rush University
  • Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance (UL1TR000427)
  • Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
  • Vetenskapsrådet
  • National Institutes of Health (UL1TR000427, NIH P50, AG027161, AG037639, NIH P50 AG033514, AG033514)
  • Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison (UL1TR000427)
  • National Institute on Aging (RF1AG027161, R01AG037639, P50AG033514, R01AG021155, R01AG027161, R56AG037639)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM008692)
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease, gut microbiota, dementia, fecal microbiota, microbial diversity, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacterium, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, amyloid deposition, gut-brain axis, therapeutic target
MeSH terms
Bacillota, Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Aged, Alzheimer Disease, Bifidobacterium, Feces, Female, Humans, Male, Biomarkers, Case-Control Studies, tau Proteins, Bacteroidetes

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