APOE ε4 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) ε4 on CSF VILIP-1 levels among the preclinical AD. METHODS: A total of 110 subjects (including 43 APOE ε4 carriers and 67 ε4 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 ε4 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 ε4 might affect CSF VILIP-1 level in preclinical AD, indicating an important role of APOE ε4 in neuron injury leading to AD.