Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Modulates the Dependence on Age of the Variability of Synchronous Neural Interactions.
Lisa M JamesArthur C LeutholdApostolos P GeorgopoulosPublished in: Neuroscience insights (2023)
Recent evidence documented a protective effect of Class II human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DRB1*13 on brain health across the lifespan including evidence of reduced neural network variability relative to non-carriers. Here, in an extension of those findings, we evaluated the influence of a large number of Class I and Class II HLA alleles on aging-related changes in neural network variability. Cognitively healthy women (N = 178) ranging in age from 28 to 99 years old underwent a magnetoencephalography scan from which neural network variability was calculated and provided a blood sample from which HLA and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype were determined. The primary analyses assessed the dependence of network variability on age in carriers of a specific HLA allele compared to non-carriers. Effects were considered protective if there was a significant increase of network variability with age in the absence of a given HLA allele but not in its presence, and were considered to confer susceptibility if the converse was documented; HLA alleles that did not influence the dependence of network variability on age in their presence or absence were considered neutral. Of 50 alleles investigated, 22 were found to be protective, 7 were found to confer susceptibility, and 21 were neutral. The frequencies of those 50 alleles were not associated significantly with ApoE genotype. The findings, which document the influence of HLA on age-related brain changes and highlight the role of HLA in healthy brain function, are discussed in terms of the role of HLA in the human immune response to foreign antigens.
Keyphrases
- neural network
- endothelial cells
- cognitive decline
- induced pluripotent stem cells
- mental health
- white matter
- mild cognitive impairment
- high fat diet
- brain injury
- magnetic resonance
- pregnant women
- mass spectrometry
- dendritic cells
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- skeletal muscle
- high resolution
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- health information
- human health