BACKGROUND:

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) promotes the survival and function of neutrophils. G-CSF is also a neurotrophic factor, increasing neuroplasticity and suppressing apoptosis.

METHODS:

We analyzed G-CSF levels in 197 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 203 cognitively normal controls (NCs) from a longitudinal study by the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium (TARCC). Data were analyzed by regression with adjustment for age, education, gender and APOE4 status.

RESULTS:

Serum G-CSF was significantly lower in AD patients than in NCs (β = -0.073; p = 0.008). However, among AD patients, higher serum G-CSF was significantly associated with increased disease severity, as indicated by lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores (β = -0.178; p = 0.014) and higher scores on the global Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale (β = 0.170; p = 0.018) and CDR Sum of Boxes (β = 0.157; p = 0.035).

CONCLUSIONS:

G-CSF appears to have a complex relationship with AD pathogenesis and may reflect different pathophysiologic processes at different illness stages.