No Distinct Gut Microbiome Signature in Alzheimer's Disease: A Reanalysis with Modern Tools

Abstract

Alzheimers Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects memory, cognition, and behavior. This study reanalyzes a publicly available 16S rRNA sequencing dataset (PRJNA554111) of fecal samples from 43 AD patients and 43 age-and-sex-matched controls to assess differences in microbial composition between the groups. We outlined the relative abundances of major phyla, and identified 137 ASVs across five phyla that were differentially abundant (padj<0.05). We found no distinct pattern of microbial composition distinguishing AD from controls, contrary to the original finding of disease-specific signatures.