Fatty Acid Profiles in Demented Patients: Identification of Hexacosanoic Acid (C26:0) as a Blood Lipid Biomarker of Dementia

Background: Several lipid metabolism alterations have been described in the brain and plasma of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, suggesting a relation between lipid metabolism alteration and dementia. 15 16 Objective: We attempted to identify blood fatty acids as biomarkers of dementia. 17 Methods: Fatty acid profiles were established using gas chromatography with or without mass spectrometry on matched plasma and red blood cells (RBCs) of demented patients diagnosed with AD, vascular dementia, or other dementia, and compared with a control group of elderly individuals. The severity of dementia was evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination test. 18 19 20 Results: Fatty acid analysi…