A Profile of Nanoparticle-Based Plasma Neurodegenerative Biomarkers for Cognitive Function Among Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the plasma levels of nanoparticle-based neurodegenerative biomarkers between hemodialysis (HD) participants with grossly normal cognitive function and healthy controls. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cohort of participants undergoing maintenance HD and healthy controls were enrolled for comparison between July and October 2021. The immunomagnetic reduction method was used to measure plasma neurodegenerative biomarkers Aβ(1-40,) Aβ(1-42,) tau protein, and neurofilament light chain (NfL). The clinical dementia rating (CDR) was used to evaluate cognitive function. A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to discriminate between HD participants and healthy controls. RESULTS: There were 52 and 18 participants in the HD and healthy control groups, respectively. The mean age of the HD participants was 62 years, and that of the healthy controls was 57 years. The mean HD vintage in the HD cohort was 11.8 years. HD participants demonstrated significantly higher plasma levels of Aβ(1-42,) tau protein, Aβ(1-42) × tau, and NfL and Aβ(1-42)/Aβ(1-40) ratio and significantly lower plasma Aβ(1-40) levels than healthy controls. The measured plasma biomarkers could not discriminate between CDR0 and CDR0.5 HD participants. The area under the curve of the study biomarkers to discriminate HD participants from healthy controls ranged from 0.987 (Aβ(1-42) × tau) to 0.889 (NfL). CONCLUSION: The plasma levels of nanoparticle-based neurodegenerative biomarkers were higher in HD participants with grossly normal cognitive function than in healthy controls. These findings imply that neurodegenerative changes appear in HD participants. A profile of plasma neurodegenerative biomarkers could be considered a potential surrogate for evaluating long-term cognitive function in HD participants.