TY - JOUR
T1 - Higher CSF Ferritin Heavy-Chain (Fth1) and Transferrin Predict Better Neurocognitive Performance in People with HIV
AU - Kaur, Harpreet
AU - Bush, William S.
AU - Letendre, Scott L.
AU - Ellis, Ronald J.
AU - Heaton, Robert K.
AU - Patton, Stephanie M.
AU - Connor, James R.
AU - Samuels, David C.
AU - Franklin, Donald R.
AU - Hulgan, Todd
AU - Kallianpur, Asha R.
N1 - Funding Information:
We are grateful to all of the individuals who participated in this study. We also acknowledge the efforts of other CHARTER Study Group members who assisted in recruitment at participating study sites: In addition to the authors, the CHARTER study is affiliated with the following six participating study sites: Johns Hopkins University; the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; University of California, San Diego; University of Texas, Galveston; University of Washington, Seattle; and Washington University, St. Louis. CHARTER is headquartered at the University of California, San Diego and includes Director: Igor Grant, M.D.; Co-Directors: Scott L. Letendre, M.D., Ronald J. Ellis, M.D., Ph.D., Thomas D. Marcotte, Ph.D.; Center Manager: Donald Franklin, Jr.; Neuromedical Component: Ronald J. Ellis, M.D., Ph.D. (P.I.), J. Allen McCutchan, M.D.; Laboratory and Virology Component: Scott Letendre, M.D. (Co-P.I.), Davey M. Smith, M.D. (Co-P.I.).; Neurobehavioral Component: Robert K. Heaton, Ph.D. (P.I.), J. Hampton Atkinson, M.D., Matthew Dawson; Imaging Component: Christine Fennema-Notestine, Ph.D. (P.I.), Michael J Taylor, Ph.D., Rebecca Theilmann, Ph.D.; Data Management Component: Anthony C. Gamst, Ph.D. (P.I.), Clint Cushman; Statistics Component: Ian Abramson, Ph.D. (P.I.), Florin Vaida, Ph.D.; Johns Hopkins University Site: Ned Sacktor (P.I.), Vincent Rogalski; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Site: Susan Morgello, M.D. (Co-P.I.) and David Simpson, M.D. (Co-P.I.), Letty Mintz, N.P.; University of California, San Diego Site: J. Allen McCutchan, M.D. (P.I.); University of Washington, Seattle Site: Ann Collier, M.D. (Co-P.I.) and Christina Marra, M.D. (Co-P.I.), Sher Storey, PA-C.; University of Texas, Galveston Site: Benjamin Gelman, M.D., Ph.D. (P.I.), Eleanor Head, R.N., B.S.N.; and Washington University, St. Louis Site: David Clifford, M.D. (P.I.), Muhammad Al-Lozi, M.D., Mengesha Teshome, M.D.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant 1R01 MH095621 (to AK and TH). The CNS HIV Anti-Retroviral Therapy Effects Research (CHARTER) Study was also supported by National Institutes of Health awards NIH R01 MH107345 (to SL and RH).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2021/10
Y1 - 2021/10
N2 - HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) remains prevalent despite antiretroviral therapy and involves white matter damage in the brain. Although iron is essential for myelination and myelin maintenance/repair, its role in HAND is largely unexplored. We tested the hypotheses that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) heavy-chain ferritin (Fth1) and transferrin, proteins integral to iron delivery and myelination, are associated with neurocognitive performance in people with HIV (PWH). Fth1, transferrin, and the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 were quantified in CSF at baseline (entry) in 403 PWH from a prospective observational study who underwent serial, comprehensive neurocognitive assessments. Associations of Fth1 and transferrin with Global Deficit Score (GDS)-defined neurocognitive performance at baseline and 30–42 months of follow-up were evaluated by multivariable regression. While not associated with neurocognitive performance at baseline, higher baseline CSF Fth1 predicted significantly better neurocognitive performance over 30 months in all PWH (p < 0.05), in PWH aged < 50 at 30, 36, and 42 months (all p < 0.05), and in virally suppressed PWH at all three visit time-points (all p < 0.01). Higher CSF transferrin was associated with superior neurocognitive performance at all visits, primarily in viremic individuals (all p < 0.05). All associations persisted after adjustment for neuro-inflammation. In summary, higher CSF Fth1 is neuroprotective over prolonged follow-up in all and virally suppressed PWH, while higher CSF transferrin may be most neuroprotective during viremia. We speculate that higher CSF levels of these critical iron-delivery proteins support improved myelination and consequently, neurocognitive performance in PWH, providing a rationale for investigating their role in interventions to prevent and/or treat HAND.
AB - HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) remains prevalent despite antiretroviral therapy and involves white matter damage in the brain. Although iron is essential for myelination and myelin maintenance/repair, its role in HAND is largely unexplored. We tested the hypotheses that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) heavy-chain ferritin (Fth1) and transferrin, proteins integral to iron delivery and myelination, are associated with neurocognitive performance in people with HIV (PWH). Fth1, transferrin, and the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 were quantified in CSF at baseline (entry) in 403 PWH from a prospective observational study who underwent serial, comprehensive neurocognitive assessments. Associations of Fth1 and transferrin with Global Deficit Score (GDS)-defined neurocognitive performance at baseline and 30–42 months of follow-up were evaluated by multivariable regression. While not associated with neurocognitive performance at baseline, higher baseline CSF Fth1 predicted significantly better neurocognitive performance over 30 months in all PWH (p < 0.05), in PWH aged < 50 at 30, 36, and 42 months (all p < 0.05), and in virally suppressed PWH at all three visit time-points (all p < 0.01). Higher CSF transferrin was associated with superior neurocognitive performance at all visits, primarily in viremic individuals (all p < 0.05). All associations persisted after adjustment for neuro-inflammation. In summary, higher CSF Fth1 is neuroprotective over prolonged follow-up in all and virally suppressed PWH, while higher CSF transferrin may be most neuroprotective during viremia. We speculate that higher CSF levels of these critical iron-delivery proteins support improved myelination and consequently, neurocognitive performance in PWH, providing a rationale for investigating their role in interventions to prevent and/or treat HAND.
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U2 - 10.1007/s12035-021-02433-7
DO - 10.1007/s12035-021-02433-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 34195939
AN - SCOPUS:85116547421
SN - 0893-7648
VL - 58
SP - 4842
EP - 4855
JO - Molecular Neurobiology
JF - Molecular Neurobiology
IS - 10
ER -