Poster Abstract: Exploratory Study of Microtubule-Associated Protein 2 Serum Levels in Alzheimer’s Disease

Tina McKay, Instructor of Investigation, Mass General Hospital

Abstract

Microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) is a cytoskeletal protein found in neuronal cell types that plays a critical role in stabilizing microtubules. Increased MAP2 in serum has been previously reported as a biomarker of postoperative delirium in older adults undergoing cardiac surgery. This study evaluated circulating MAP2 levels in 10 subjects with Alzheimer’s disease enrolled in the Mass General Brigham Biobank to determine possible associations with neurodegenerative markers, including neurofilament light chain (NF-L) and phosphorylated-tau isoforms (P-tau). The cohort was composed by 8 males and 2 females with a median age of 73 years old (range 61 – 81 years). Serum MAP2 concentrations were determined using custom digital immunoassays and ranged from 0.04 to 12.72 pg/mL with a median of 0.88 pg/mL, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [0.16 – 9.98]. In terms of absolute concentrations, MAP2 was lower in abundance in serum compared to P-tau-181 (58.93 pg/mL, 95% CI [5.59 – 81.59]) with values similar to P-tau-217 (0.39 pg/mL, 95% CI [0.06 – 0.74]) and P-tau-205 (0.98 pg/mL, 95% CI [0.30 – 2.66]). P-tau-217 serum levels were significantly correlated with MAP2 (Spearman rho = 0.767, p = 0.02), as well as P-tau-181 (Spearman rho = 0.90, p = 0.002) and NF-L (Spearman rho = 0.75, p = 0.017), suggesting that circulating MAP2 may serve as a similar surrogate marker of neurodegeneration. Larger clinical studies are required to validate these findings and explore the use of blood levels of MAP2 to study neurological changes.