ADDI's Editorial Take

What is it and what does it include? 

MCI is an intermediate state between normal aging and AD. Early detection of dementia, and MCI, is a crucial issue in terms of secondary prevention. Blood biomarker detection is a possible way for early detection of MCI. Although disease biomarkers are detected by, in general, using single molecular analysis such as t-test, another possible approach is based on interaction between molecules. To detect plasma miRNA biomarker for MCI, the blood samples were collected from 30 age-matched controls and 23 MCI patients in Japan. Total RNA was extracted from plasma, and miRNAs differential expression were profiled in these plasma samples. Processed data were compared between control and MCI groups.  

Differential correlation analysis, a bioinformatics tool to elucidate complicated and interdependent biological systems behind diseases, detects effective MCI markers that cannot be found by single molecule analysis such as t-test.  

How can I use this dataset to advance my research? 

This dataset is ideal if: 

  • you’re investigating plasma miRNA biomarker from blood samples from MCI patients. 
  • you’re looking for evidence linking changes of miRNAs expression with frailty and cognitive impairment. 

Has this dataset helped researchers understand Alzheimer’s and other dementias better? 

Of course!  

  • AD & miRNAs:  

In 2021, investigators aimed to identify miRNAs that might be associated with cognitive frailty, a syndrome in older adults with evidence of both physical frailty and cognitive impairment. Although many works have proposed miRNAs as biomarkers of frailty and cognitive decline, investigators concluded that the study of differentially expressed miRNAs in frailty is at its infancy, and reports on cognitive frailty are still missing. The identification of selected miRNAs differentially modulated in cognitive frailty could pave the way for innovative diagnostic and prognostic strategies, which may help the clinical management of people suffering from this condition, improving their life expectancy and quality of life. Furthermore, the study of miRNAs involvement in etiological mechanisms of cognitive frailty represents a promising tool for the identification of new targets for the development of novel therapeutic approaches, thus modeling health trajectories toward positive outcomes. November  2021 – DOI:  https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.763110/full 

  • AD & miRNAs:  

In 2016, researchers carried out differential correlation analysis to plasma miRNA expression profiles of 30 age- and race-matched controls and 23 Japanese MCI patients. Pathway analysis showed that, in particular, collapsed correlation on hsa-miR-191 and emerged correlation on hsa-miR-125b might have a key role in MCI, and dementia progression. Differential correlation analysis detects effective MCI markers that cannot be found by single molecule analysis such as t-test. Also, differential correlation analysis could be a key bioinformatics tool to find sensitive biomarkers and to elucidate complicated biological systems behind diseases. December 2016 – DOI: https://biomarkerres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40364-016-0076-1#Sec13