Plasma placental growth factor as a biomarker for subcortical ischemic vascular dementia and its cognitive correlation mediated by white matter hyperintensities.

INTRODUCTION

Placental growth factor (PlGF) was recently shown to be associated with cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. The changes of PlGF level in patients with subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD) and its associations with cognitive function remain unclear.

METHODS

Seventy patients with SIVD, 102 patients with symptomatic Alzheimer's disease, 40 patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and 38 cognitively unimpaired controls (CUCs) were included. The plasma level of PlGF was measured via electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.

RESULTS

The plasma PlGF level was significantly elevated in patients with SIVD compared with CUCs, and showed a high accuracy with an area under the curve of 0.893. Mediation analysis revealed that white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) volume mediated the effect of plasma PlGF levels on cognitive functions in a transdiagnostic cohort.

DISCUSSION: The plasma PlGF is a potential biomarker for screening and diagnosing SIVD, and its correlation with cognitive function may be partly mediated by the WMHs.

HIGHLIGHTS: Plasma placental growth factor (PlGF) showed high diagnostic value for subcortical ischemic vascular dementia. Plasma PlGF showed significantly negative correlation with cognition. White matter hyperintensities mediated the relationship between plasma PlGF and cognition.