Association between leukocyte telomere length and neurodegenerative diseases: a prospective cohort in the UK Biobank

Key Points

• This research aims to investigate the relationship between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and the risk of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs).
• Utilized data from the UK Biobank cohort
• Analyzed the association between LTL and various NDDs
• Employed machine learning models for risk prediction
• Shorter LTL correlated with increased risk of several neurodegenerative diseases
• Longer LTL unexpectedly linked to elevated risk of multiple sclerosis, especially in younger individuals
• Machine learning models showed strong predictive capability for assessing NDD risk