Level of LncRNA GAS5 and Hippocampal Volume are Associated with the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease

Xiaopeng Chen,1,2 Guoqiang Ren,3 Yan Li,1,4 Wa Chao,1 Siyuan Chen,2 Xuezhong Li,2 Shouru Xue1 1Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurology, the Affiliated People’s Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiology, the Affiliated People’s Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Neurology, the Taixing People’s Hospital, Taixing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Shouru Xue, Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 188 Shizi Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, 215006, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-18962133036, Fax +86-512-65223637, Email xueshouru@suda.edu.cnPurpose: We evaluated the diagnostic value of long non-coding RNA growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5) and its relationship with hippocampal volume in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).Patients and Methods: One hundred and eight patients with AD and 83 healthy controls were included, and demographic data, biochemical parameters, GAS5 levels, and hippocampal volume were recorded. Chi-squared tests or independent sample t-tests were used to compare the baseline characteristics, relative expression of GAS5, and hippocampal volume. Correlations between variables were determined using Spearman’s rank correlation test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to compare the diagnostic value of GAS5 and total hippocampal volume in AD.Results: The levels of GAS5 were significantly upregulated in patients with AD compared with those in controls and were negatively correlated with MMSE score. There were differences in left hippocampal volume, right hippocampal volume, and total hippocampal volume between the two groups. Total hippocampal volume was positively correlated with MMSE score and negatively correlated with GAS5 expression in patients with AD. The area under the curve (AUC) of for GAS5 expression was 0.831, the sensitivity was 61.1%, and the specificity was 95.2%. The AUC of the combined total hippocampal volume was 0.891, the sensitivity was 74.1%, and the specificity was 92.8%.Conclusion: The results suggested that GAS5 may be an excellent indicator of AD progression alone or in combination with hippocampal volume.Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, long non-coding RNA, receiver operating characteristic, biomarker