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Wearn A, Tremblay SA, Tardif CL, Leppert IR, Gauthier CJ, Baracchini G, Hughes C, Hewan P, Tremblay-Mercier J, Rosa-Neto P, Poirier J, Villeneuve S, Schmitz TW, Turner GR, Spreng RN. Neuromodulatory subcortical nucleus integrity is associated with white matter microstructure, tauopathy and APOE status. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4706. [PMID: 38830849 PMCID: PMC11148077 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48490-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The neuromodulatory subcortical nuclei within the isodendritic core (IdC) are the earliest sites of tauopathy in Alzheimer's disease (AD). They project broadly throughout the brain's white matter. We investigated the relationship between IdC microstructure and whole-brain white matter microstructure to better understand early neuropathological changes in AD. Using multiparametric quantitative magnetic resonance imaging we observed two covariance patterns between IdC and white matter microstructure in 133 cognitively unimpaired older adults (age 67.9 ± 5.3 years) with familial risk for AD. IdC integrity related to 1) whole-brain neurite density, and 2) neurite orientation dispersion in white matter tracts known to be affected early in AD. Pattern 2 was associated with CSF concentration of phosphorylated-tau, indicating AD specificity. Apolipoprotein-E4 carriers expressed both patterns more strongly than non-carriers. IdC microstructure variation is reflected in white matter, particularly in AD-affected tracts, highlighting an early mechanism of pathological development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfie Wearn
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada.
| | - Stéfanie A Tremblay
- Department of Physics, Concordia University, Montreal, H4B 1R6, QC, Canada
- Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, H1T 1C8, QC, Canada
- School of Health, Concordia University, Montreal, H4B 1R6, QC, Canada
| | - Christine L Tardif
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, McGill, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada
| | - Ilana R Leppert
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada
| | - Claudine J Gauthier
- Department of Physics, Concordia University, Montreal, H4B 1R6, QC, Canada
- Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, H1T 1C8, QC, Canada
- School of Health, Concordia University, Montreal, H4B 1R6, QC, Canada
| | - Giulia Baracchini
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada
| | - Colleen Hughes
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada
| | - Patrick Hewan
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, M3J 1P3, ON, Canada
| | | | - Pedro Rosa-Neto
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute-Research Center, Verdun, H4H 1R3, QC, Canada
| | - Judes Poirier
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute-Research Center, Verdun, H4H 1R3, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 1A1, QC, Canada
| | - Sylvia Villeneuve
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute-Research Center, Verdun, H4H 1R3, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 1A1, QC, Canada
| | - Taylor W Schmitz
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Western Institute for Neuroscience, Western University, London, N6A 5C1, ON, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, M3J 1P3, ON, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada.
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, QC, Canada.
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute-Research Center, Verdun, H4H 1R3, QC, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 1A1, QC, Canada.
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Kouri N, Frankenhauser I, Peng Z, Labuzan SA, Boon BDC, Moloney CM, Pottier C, Wickland DP, Caetano-Anolles K, Corriveau-Lecavalier N, Tranovich JF, Wood AC, Hinkle KM, Lincoln SJ, Spychalla AJ, Senjem ML, Przybelski SA, Engelberg-Cook E, Schwarz CG, Kwan RS, Lesser ER, Crook JE, Carter RE, Ross OA, Lachner C, Ertekin-Taner N, Ferman TJ, Fields JA, Machulda MM, Ramanan VK, Nguyen AT, Reichard RR, Jones DT, Graff-Radford J, Boeve BF, Knopman DS, Petersen RC, Jack CR, Kantarci K, Day GS, Duara R, Graff-Radford NR, Dickson DW, Lowe VJ, Vemuri P, Murray ME. Clinicopathologic Heterogeneity and Glial Activation Patterns in Alzheimer Disease. JAMA Neurol 2024; 81:619-629. [PMID: 38619853 PMCID: PMC11019448 DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.0784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Importance Factors associated with clinical heterogeneity in Alzheimer disease (AD) lay along a continuum hypothesized to associate with tangle distribution and are relevant for understanding glial activation considerations in therapeutic advancement. Objectives To examine clinicopathologic and neuroimaging characteristics of disease heterogeneity in AD along a quantitative continuum using the corticolimbic index (CLix) to account for individuality of spatially distributed tangles found at autopsy. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study was a retrospective medical record review performed on the Florida Autopsied Multiethnic (FLAME) cohort accessioned from 1991 to 2020. Data were analyzed from December 2022 to December 2023. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tau positron emission tomography (PET) were evaluated in an independent neuroimaging group. The FLAME cohort includes 2809 autopsied individuals; included in this study were neuropathologically diagnosed AD cases (FLAME-AD). A digital pathology subgroup of FLAME-AD cases was derived for glial activation analyses. Main Outcomes and Measures Clinicopathologic factors of heterogeneity that inform patient history and neuropathologic evaluation of AD; CLix score (lower, relative cortical predominance/hippocampal sparing vs higher, relative cortical sparing/limbic predominant cases); neuroimaging measures (ie, structural MRI and tau-PET). Results Of the 2809 autopsied individuals in the FLAME cohort, 1361 neuropathologically diagnosed AD cases were evaluated. A digital pathology subgroup included 60 FLAME-AD cases. The independent neuroimaging group included 93 cases. Among the 1361 FLAME-AD cases, 633 were male (47%; median [range] age at death, 81 [54-96] years) and 728 were female (53%; median [range] age at death, 81 [53-102] years). A younger symptomatic onset (Spearman ρ = 0.39, P < .001) and faster decline on the Mini-Mental State Examination (Spearman ρ = 0.27; P < .001) correlated with a lower CLix score in FLAME-AD series. Cases with a nonamnestic syndrome had lower CLix scores (median [IQR], 13 [9-18]) vs not (median [IQR], 21 [15-27]; P < .001). Hippocampal MRI volume (Spearman ρ = -0.45; P < .001) and flortaucipir tau-PET uptake in posterior cingulate and precuneus cortex (Spearman ρ = -0.74; P < .001) inversely correlated with CLix score. Although AD cases with a CLix score less than 10 had higher cortical tangle count, we found lower percentage of CD68-activated microglia/macrophage burden (median [IQR], 0.46% [0.32%-0.75%]) compared with cases with a CLix score of 10 to 30 (median [IQR], 0.75% [0.51%-0.98%]) and on par with a CLix score of 30 or greater (median [IQR], 0.40% [0.32%-0.57%]; P = .02). Conclusions and Relevance Findings show that AD heterogeneity exists along a continuum of corticolimbic tangle distribution. Reduced CD68 burden may signify an underappreciated association between tau accumulation and microglia/macrophages activation that should be considered in personalized therapy for immune dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Kouri
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Isabelle Frankenhauser
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
- Paracelsus Medical Private University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Zhongwei Peng
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | | | | | | | - Cyril Pottier
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Daniel P. Wickland
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | | | - Nick Corriveau-Lecavalier
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | | | - Ashley C. Wood
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Kelly M. Hinkle
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | | | | | | | - Scott A. Przybelski
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | | | | | - Rain S. Kwan
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Elizabeth R. Lesser
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Julia E. Crook
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Rickey E. Carter
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Owen A. Ross
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Christian Lachner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Tanis J. Ferman
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Julie A. Fields
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Mary M. Machulda
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | | | - Aivi T. Nguyen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - R. Ross Reichard
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - David T. Jones
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Kejal Kantarci
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Gregory S. Day
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Ranjan Duara
- Wien Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, Florida
| | | | | | - Val J. Lowe
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
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Jiao L, Kang H, Geng Y, Liu X, Wang M, Shu K. The role of the nucleus basalis of Meynert in neuromodulation therapy: a systematic review from the perspective of neural network oscillations. Front Aging Neurosci 2024; 16:1376764. [PMID: 38650866 PMCID: PMC11033491 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1376764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
As a crucial component of the cerebral cholinergic system and the Papez circuit in the basal forebrain, dysfunction of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) is associated with various neurodegenerative disorders. However, no drugs, including existing cholinesterase inhibitors, have been shown to reverse this dysfunction. Due to advancements in neuromodulation technology, researchers are exploring the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy targeting the NBM (NBM-DBS) to treat mental and neurological disorders as well as the related mechanisms. Herein, we provided an update on the research progress on cognition-related neural network oscillations and complex anatomical and projective relationships between the NBM and other cognitive structures and circuits. Furthermore, we reviewed previous animal studies of NBM lesions, NBM-DBS models, and clinical case studies to summarize the important functions of the NBM in neuromodulation. In addition to elucidating the mechanism of the NBM neural network, future research should focus on to other types of neurons in the NBM, despite the fact that cholinergic neurons are still the key target for cell type-specific activation by DBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liwu Jiao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Huicong Kang
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yumei Geng
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xuyang Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Mengying Wang
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Kai Shu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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4
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Boon BDC, Labuzan SA, Peng Z, Matchett BJ, Kouri N, Hinkle KM, Lachner C, Ross OA, Ertekin-Taner N, Carter RE, Ferman TJ, Duara R, Dickson DW, Graff-Radford NR, Murray ME. Retrospective Evaluation of Neuropathologic Proxies of the Minimal Atrophy Subtype Compared With Corticolimbic Alzheimer Disease Subtypes. Neurology 2023; 101:e1412-e1423. [PMID: 37580158 PMCID: PMC10573142 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000207685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Alzheimer disease (AD) is neuropathologically classified into 3 corticolimbic subtypes based on the neurofibrillary tangle distribution throughout the hippocampus and association cortices: limbic predominant, typical, and hippocampal sparing. In vivo, a fourth subtype, dubbed "minimal atrophy," was identified using structural MRI. The objective of this study was to identify a neuropathologic proxy for the neuroimaging-defined minimal atrophy subtype. METHODS We applied 2 strategies in the Florida Autopsied Multi-Ethnic (FLAME) cohort to evaluate a neuropathologic proxy for the minimal atrophy subtype. In the first strategy, we selected AD cases with a Braak tangle stage IV (Braak IV) because of the relative paucity of neocortical tangle involvement compared with Braak >IV. Braak IV cases were compared with the 3 AD subtypes. In the alternative strategy, typical AD was stratified by brain weight and cases having a relatively high brain weight (>75th percentile) were defined as minimal atrophy. RESULTS Braak IV cases (n = 37) differed from AD subtypes (limbic predominant [n = 174], typical [n = 986], and hippocampal sparing [n = 187] AD) in having the least years of education (median 12 years, group-wise p < 0.001) and the highest brain weight (median 1,140 g, p = 0.002). Braak IV cases most resembled the limbic predominant cases owing to their high proportion of APOE ε4 carriers (75%, p < 0.001), an amnestic syndrome (100%, p < 0.001), as well as older age of cognitive symptom onset and death (median 79 and 85 years, respectively, p < 0.001). Only 5% of Braak IV cases had amygdala-predominant Lewy bodies (the lowest frequency observed, p = 0.017), whereas 32% had coexisting pathology of Lewy body disease, which was greater than the other subtypes (p = 0.005). Nearly half (47%) of the Braak IV samples had coexisting limbic predominant age-related TAR DNA-binding protein 43 encephalopathy neuropathologic change. Cases with a high brain weight (n = 201) were less likely to have amygdala-predominant Lewy bodies (14%, p = 0.006) and most likely to have Lewy body disease (31%, p = 0.042) compared with those with middle (n = 455) and low (n = 203) brain weight. DISCUSSION The frequency of Lewy body disease was increased in both neuropathologic proxies of the minimal atrophy subtype. We hypothesize that Lewy body disease may underlie cognitive decline observed in minimal atrophy cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baayla D C Boon
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Sydney A Labuzan
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Zhongwei Peng
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Billie J Matchett
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Naomi Kouri
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Kelly M Hinkle
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Christian Lachner
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Owen A Ross
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Nilufer Ertekin-Taner
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Rickey E Carter
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Tanis J Ferman
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Ranjan Duara
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Dennis W Dickson
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Neill R Graff-Radford
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL
| | - Melissa E Murray
- From the Department of Neuroscience (B.D.C.B., S.A.L., B.J.M., N.K., K.M.H., O.A.R., N.E.-T., D.W.D., M.E.M.), Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Z.P., R.E.C.), Department of Neurology (C.L., N.E.-T., N.R.G.-R.), and Department of Psychiatry & Psychology (C.L., T.J.F.), Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville; and Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders (R.D.), Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL.
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Berry AS, Harrison TM. New perspectives on the basal forebrain cholinergic system in Alzheimer's disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 150:105192. [PMID: 37086935 PMCID: PMC10249144 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023]
Abstract
The basal forebrain cholinergic system (BFCS) has long been implicated in age-related cognitive changes and the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Limitations of cholinergic interventions helped to inspire a shift away from BFCS in AD research. A resurgence in interest in the BFCS following methodological and analytical advances has resulted in a call for the BFCS to be examined in novel frameworks. We outline the basic structure and function of the BFCS, its role in supporting cognitive and affective function, and its vulnerability to aging and AD. We consider the BFCS in the context of the amyloid hypothesis and evolving concepts in AD research: resilience and resistance to pathology, selective neuronal vulnerability, trans-synaptic pathology spread and sleep health. We highlight 1) the potential role of the BFCS in cognitive resilience, 2) recent work refining understanding about the selective vulnerability of BFCS to AD, 3) BFCS connectivity that suggests it is related to tau spreading and neurodegeneration and 4) the gap between BFCS involvement in AD and sleep-wake cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Theresa M Harrison
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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Diaz-Galvan P, Lorenzon G, Mohanty R, Mårtensson G, Cavedo E, Lista S, Vergallo A, Kantarci K, Hampel H, Dubois B, Grothe MJ, Ferreira D, Westman E. Differential response to donepezil in MRI subtypes of mild cognitive impairment. Alzheimers Res Ther 2023; 15:117. [PMID: 37353809 PMCID: PMC10288762 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-023-01253-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Donepezil is an approved therapy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Results across clinical trials have been inconsistent, which may be explained by design-methodological issues, the pathophysiological heterogeneity of AD, and diversity of included study participants. We investigated whether response to donepezil differs in mild cognitive impaired (MCI) individuals demonstrating different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) subtypes. METHODS From the Hippocampus Study double-blind, randomized clinical trial, we included 173 MCI individuals (donepezil = 83; placebo = 90) with structural MRI data, at baseline and at clinical follow-up assessments (6-12-month). Efficacy outcomes were the annualized percentage change (APC) in hippocampal, ventricular, and total grey matter volumes, as well as in the AD cortical thickness signature. Participants were classified into MRI subtypes as typical AD, limbic-predominant, hippocampal-sparing, or minimal atrophy at baseline. We primarily applied a subtyping approach based on continuous scale of two subtyping dimensions. We also used the conventional categorical subtyping approach for comparison. RESULTS Donepezil-treated MCI individuals showed slower atrophy rates compared to the placebo group, but only if they belonged to the minimal atrophy or hippocampal-sparing subtypes. Importantly, only the continuous subtyping approach, but not the conventional categorical approach, captured this differential response. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that individuals with MCI, with hippocampal-sparing or minimal atrophy subtype, may have improved benefit from donepezil, as compared with MCI individuals with typical or limbic-predominant patterns of atrophy. The newly proposed continuous subtyping approach may have advantages compared to the conventional categorical approach. Future research is warranted to demonstrate the potential of subtype stratification for disease prognosis and response to treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrial.gov NCT00403520. Submission Date: November 21, 2006.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Giulia Lorenzon
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Rosaleena Mohanty
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Gustav Mårtensson
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Enrica Cavedo
- Alzheimer Precision Medicine (APM), Sorbonne University, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Boulevard de L'hôpital, Paris, France
| | - Simone Lista
- Alzheimer Precision Medicine (APM), Sorbonne University, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Boulevard de L'hôpital, Paris, France
| | - Andrea Vergallo
- Alzheimer Precision Medicine (APM), Sorbonne University, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Boulevard de L'hôpital, Paris, France
| | - Kejal Kantarci
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Harald Hampel
- Alzheimer Precision Medicine (APM), Sorbonne University, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Boulevard de L'hôpital, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Dubois
- Alzheimer Precision Medicine (APM), Sorbonne University, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Boulevard de L'hôpital, Paris, France
| | - Michel J Grothe
- Unidad de Trastornos del Movimiento, Servicio de Neurología y Neurofisiología Clínica, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
- Wallenberg Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Daniel Ferreira
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Eric Westman
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.
- Department of Neuroimaging, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
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7
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Abbate C. The Adult Neurogenesis Theory of Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2023:JAD221279. [PMID: 37182879 DOI: 10.3233/jad-221279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease starts in neural stem cells (NSCs) in the niches of adult neurogenesis. All primary factors responsible for pathological tau hyperphosphorylation are inherent to adult neurogenesis and migration. However, when amyloid pathology is present, it strongly amplifies tau pathogenesis. Indeed, the progressive accumulation of extracellular amyloid-β deposits in the brain triggers a state of chronic inflammation by microglia. Microglial activation has a significant pro-neurogenic effect that fosters the process of adult neurogenesis and supports neuronal migration. Unfortunately, this "reactive" pro-neurogenic activity ultimately perturbs homeostatic equilibrium in the niches of adult neurogenesis by amplifying tau pathogenesis in AD. This scenario involves NSCs in the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus in late-onset AD (LOAD) and NSCs in the ventricular-subventricular zone along the lateral ventricles in early-onset AD (EOAD), including familial AD (FAD). Neuroblasts carrying the initial seed of tau pathology travel throughout the brain via neuronal migration driven by complex signals and convey the disease from the niches of adult neurogenesis to near (LOAD) or distant (EOAD) brain regions. In these locations, or in close proximity, a focus of degeneration begins to develop. Then, tau pathology spreads from the initial foci to large neuronal networks along neural connections through neuron-to-neuron transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Abbate
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Milan, Italy
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8
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Lista S, Vergallo A, Teipel SJ, Lemercier P, Giorgi FS, Gabelle A, Garaci F, Mercuri NB, Babiloni C, Gaire BP, Koronyo Y, Koronyo-Hamaoui M, Hampel H, Nisticò R. Determinants of approved acetylcholinesterase inhibitor response outcomes in Alzheimer's disease: relevance for precision medicine in neurodegenerative diseases. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 84:101819. [PMID: 36526257 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2022.101819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI) are the global standard of care for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and show significant positive effects in neurodegenerative diseases with cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Although experimental and large-scale clinical evidence indicates the potential long-term efficacy of ChEI, primary outcomes are generally heterogeneous across outpatient clinics and regional healthcare systems. Sub-optimal dosing or slow tapering, heterogeneous guidelines about the timing for therapy initiation (prodromal versus dementia stages), healthcare providers' ambivalence to treatment, lack of disease awareness, delayed medical consultation, prescription of ChEI in non-AD cognitive disorders, contribute to the negative outcomes. We present an evidence-based overview of determinants, spanning genetic, molecular, and large-scale networks, involved in the response to ChEI in patients with AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. A comprehensive understanding of cerebral and retinal cholinergic system dysfunctions along with ChEI response predictors in AD is crucial since disease-modifying therapies will frequently be prescribed in combination with ChEI. Therapeutic algorithms tailored to genetic, biological, clinical (endo)phenotypes, and disease stages will help leverage inter-drug synergy and attain optimal combined response outcomes, in line with the precision medicine model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Lista
- Memory Resources and Research Center (CMRR), Neurology Department, Gui de Chauliac University Hospital, Montpellier, France; School of Pharmacy, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.
| | - Andrea Vergallo
- Sorbonne University, Alzheimer Precision Medicine (APM), AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Stefan J Teipel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Rostock/Greifswald, Rostock, Germany; Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Pablo Lemercier
- Sorbonne University, Alzheimer Precision Medicine (APM), AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Filippo Sean Giorgi
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Audrey Gabelle
- Memory Resources and Research Center (CMRR), Neurology Department, Gui de Chauliac University Hospital, Montpellier, France
| | - Francesco Garaci
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy; Casa di Cura "San Raffaele Cassino", Cassino, Italy
| | - Nicola B Mercuri
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy; IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Babiloni
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Erspamer", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Hospital San Raffaele Cassino, Cassino, Italy
| | - Bhakta Prasad Gaire
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yosef Koronyo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Division of Applied Cell Biology and Physiology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Harald Hampel
- Sorbonne University, Alzheimer Precision Medicine (APM), AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Robert Nisticò
- School of Pharmacy, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy; Laboratory of Pharmacology of Synaptic Plasticity, EBRI Rita Levi-Montalcini Foundation, Rome, Italy.
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9
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Murray ME, Moloney CM, Kouri N, Syrjanen JA, Matchett BJ, Rothberg DM, Tranovich JF, Sirmans TNH, Wiste HJ, Boon BDC, Nguyen AT, Reichard RR, Dickson DW, Lowe VJ, Dage JL, Petersen RC, Jack CR, Knopman DS, Vemuri P, Graff-Radford J, Mielke MM. Global neuropathologic severity of Alzheimer's disease and locus coeruleus vulnerability influences plasma phosphorylated tau levels. Mol Neurodegener 2022; 17:85. [PMID: 36575455 PMCID: PMC9795667 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-022-00578-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Advances in ultrasensitive detection of phosphorylated tau (p-tau) in plasma has enabled the use of blood tests to measure Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker changes. Examination of postmortem brains of participants with antemortem plasma p-tau levels remains critical to understanding comorbid and AD-specific contribution to these biomarker changes. METHODS We analyzed 35 population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging participants with plasma p-tau at threonine 181 and threonine 217 (p-tau181, p-tau217) available within 3 years of death. Autopsied participants included cognitively unimpaired, mild cognitive impairment, AD dementia, and non-AD neurodegenerative disorders. Global neuropathologic scales of tau, amyloid-β, TDP-43, and cerebrovascular disease were examined. Regional digital pathology measures of tau (phosphorylated threonine 181 and 217 [pT181, pT217]) and amyloid-β (6F/3D) were quantified in hippocampus and parietal cortex. Neurotransmitter hubs reported to influence development of tangles (nucleus basalis of Meynert) and amyloid-β plaques (locus coeruleus) were evaluated. RESULTS The strongest regional associations were with parietal cortex for tau burden (p-tau181 R = 0.55, p = 0.003; p-tau217 R = 0.66, p < 0.001) and amyloid-β burden (p-tau181 R = 0.59, p < 0.001; p-tau217 R = 0.71, p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis of global neuropathologic scales explained 31% of variability in plasma p-tau181 (Adj. R2 = 0.31) and 59% in plasma p-tau217 (Adj. R2 = 0.59). Neither TDP-43 nor cerebrovascular disease global scales independently contributed to variability. Global scales of tau pathology (β-coefficient = 0.060, p = 0.016) and amyloid-β pathology (β-coefficient = 0.080, p < 0.001) independently predicted plasma p-tau217 when modeled together with co-pathologies, but only amyloid-β (β-coefficient = 0.33, p = 0.021) significantly predicted plasma p-tau181. While nucleus basalis of Meynert neuron count/mm2 was not associated with plasma p-tau levels, a lower locus coeruleus neuron count/mm2 was associated with higher plasma p-tau181 (R = -0.50, p = 0.007) and higher plasma p-tau217 (R = -0.55, p = 0.002). Cognitive scores (Adj. R2 = 0.25-0.32) were predicted by the global tau scale, but not by the global amyloid-β scale or plasma p-tau when modeled simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS Higher soluble plasma p-tau levels may be the result of an intersection between insoluble deposits of amyloid-β and tau accumulation in brain, and may be associated with locus coeruleus degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa E. Murray
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Christina M. Moloney
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Naomi Kouri
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Jeremy A. Syrjanen
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN USA
| | - Billie J. Matchett
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Darren M. Rothberg
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Jessica F. Tranovich
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Tiffany N. Hicks Sirmans
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Heather J. Wiste
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN USA
| | - Baayla D. C. Boon
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Aivi T. Nguyen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN USA
| | - R. Ross Reichard
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN USA
| | - Dennis W. Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Val J. Lowe
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN USA
| | - Jeffrey L. Dage
- Department of Neurology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Michelle M. Mielke
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN USA
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, 525 Vine, 5th floor, Winston-Salem, NC 27157 USA
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10
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Nguyen AT, Kouri N, Labuzan SA, Przybelski SA, Lesnick TG, Raghavan S, Reid RI, Reichard RR, Knopman DS, Petersen RC, Jack CR, Mielke MM, Dickson DW, Graff-Radford J, Murray ME, Vemuri P. Neuropathologic scales of cerebrovascular disease associated with diffusion changes on MRI. Acta Neuropathol 2022; 144:1117-1125. [PMID: 35841412 PMCID: PMC9637622 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-022-02465-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Summarizing the multiplicity and heterogeneity of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) features into a single measure has been difficult in both neuropathology and imaging studies. The objective of this work was to evaluate the association between neuroimaging surrogates of CVD and two available neuropathologic CVD scales in those with both antemortem imaging CVD measures and postmortem CVD evaluation. Individuals in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging with MRI scans within 5 years of death (N = 51) were included. Antemortem CVD measures were computed from diffusion MRI (dMRI), FLAIR, and T2* GRE imaging modalities and compared with postmortem neuropathologic findings using Kalaria and Strozyk Scales. Of all the neuroimaging measures, both regional and global dMRI measures were associated with Kalaria and Strozyk Scales (p < 0.05) and modestly correlated with global cognitive performance. The major conclusions from this study were: (i) microstructural white matter injury measurements using dMRI may be meaningful surrogates of neuropathologic CVD scales, because they aid in capturing diffuse (and early) changes to white matter and secondary neurodegeneration due to lesions; (ii) vacuolation in the corpus callosum may be associated with white matter changes measured on antemortem dMRI imaging; (iii) Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change did not associate with neuropathologic CVD scales; and (iv) future work should be focused on developing better quantitative measures utilizing dMRI to optimally assess CVD-related neuropathologic changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aivi T Nguyen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Naomi Kouri
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Sydney A Labuzan
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Scott A Przybelski
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Timothy G Lesnick
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Sheelakumari Raghavan
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Robert I Reid
- Department of Information Technology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - R Ross Reichard
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | | | | | - Clifford R Jack
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Michelle M Mielke
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Dennis W Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | | | - Melissa E Murray
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
| | - Prashanthi Vemuri
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
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11
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Ferreira D, Mohanty R, Murray ME, Nordberg A, Kantarci K, Westman E. The hippocampal sparing subtype of Alzheimer's disease assessed in neuropathology and in vivo tau positron emission tomography: a systematic review. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2022; 10:166. [PMID: 36376963 PMCID: PMC9664780 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-022-01471-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropathology and neuroimaging studies have identified several subtypes of Alzheimer's disease (AD): hippocampal sparing AD, typical AD, and limbic predominant AD. An unresolved question is whether hippocampal sparing AD cases can present with neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in association cortices while completely sparing the hippocampus. To address that question, we conducted a systematic review and performed original analyses on tau positron emission tomography (PET) data. We searched EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases until October 2022. We also implemented several methods for AD subtyping on tau PET to identify hippocampal sparing AD cases. Our findings show that seven out of the eight reviewed neuropathologic studies included cases at Braak stages IV or higher and therefore, could not identify hippocampal sparing cases with NFT completely sparing the hippocampus. In contrast, tau PET did identify AD participants with tracer retention in the association cortex while completely sparing the hippocampus. We conclude that tau PET can identify hippocampal sparing AD cases with NFT completely sparing the hippocampus. Based on the accumulating data, we suggest two possible pathways of tau spread: (1) a canonical pathway with early involvement of transentorhinal cortex and subsequent involvement of limbic regions and association cortices, and (2) a less common pathway that affects association cortices with limbic involvement observed at end stages of the disease or not at all.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ferreira
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics; Center for Alzheimer Research; Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Blickagången 16 (NEO building, floor 7th), 14152, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden. .,Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - Rosaleena Mohanty
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics; Center for Alzheimer Research; Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Blickagången 16 (NEO building, floor 7th), 14152, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Agneta Nordberg
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics; Center for Alzheimer Research; Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Blickagången 16 (NEO building, floor 7th), 14152, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.,Theme Aging, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Kejal Kantarci
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Eric Westman
- Division of Clinical Geriatrics; Center for Alzheimer Research; Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Blickagången 16 (NEO building, floor 7th), 14152, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden. .,Department of Neuroimaging, Center for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
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12
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Zeng Q, Qiu T, Li K, Luo X, Wang S, Xu X, Liu X, Hong L, Li J, Huang P, Zhang M. Increased functional connectivity between nucleus basalis of Meynert and amygdala in cognitively intact elderly along the Alzheimer's continuum. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 36:103256. [PMID: 36451361 PMCID: PMC9668640 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A growing body of research reported the degeneration of the basal forebrain (BF) cholinergic system in the early course of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, functional changes of the BF in asymptomatic individuals along the Alzheimer's continuum remain unclear. METHODS A total of 229 cognitively intact participants were included from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative dataset and further divided into four groups based on the "A/T" profile using amyloid and tau positron emission tomography (PET). All A-T+ subjects were excluded. One hundred and seventy-three subjects along the Alzheimer's continuum (A-T-, A+ T-, A+ T+) were used for further study. The seed-based functional connectivity (FC) maps of the BF subregions (Ch1-3 and Ch4 [nucleus basalis of Meynert, NBM]) with whole-brain voxels were constructed. Analyses of covariance to detect the between-group differences and to further investigated the relations between FC values and AD biomarkers or cognition. RESULTS We found increased FC between right Ch4 and bilateral amygdala among three groups, and the FC value could well distinguish between the A-T- group and the Alzheimer's continuum groups. Furthermore, increased FC between the Ch4 and amygdala was associated with higher pathological burden reflected by amyloid and tau PET in the entire population as well as better logistic memory function in A + T+ group. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated the NBM functional connectivity increased in cognitively normal elderly along the Alzheimer's continuum, which indicated a potential compensatory mechanism to counteract pathological changes in AD and maintain intact cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingze Zeng
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tiantian Qiu
- Department of Radiology, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, China
| | - Kaicheng Li
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao Luo
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shuyue Wang
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaopei Xu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaocao Liu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Luwei Hong
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jixuan Li
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Peiyu Huang
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Minming Zhang
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
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13
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Lachner C, Day GS, Camsari GB, Kouri N, Ertekin-Taner N, Boeve BF, Labuzan SA, Lucas JA, Thompson EA, Siddiqui H, Crook JE, Cabrera-Rodriguez JN, Josephs KA, Petersen RC, Dickson DW, Reichard RR, Mielke MM, Knopman DS, Graff-Radford NR, Murray ME. Cancer and Vascular Comorbidity Effects on Dementia Risk and Neuropathology in the Oldest-Old. J Alzheimers Dis 2022; 90:405-417. [PMID: 36213996 PMCID: PMC9661335 DOI: 10.3233/jad-220440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dementia, vascular disease, and cancer increase with age, enabling complex comorbid interactions. Understanding vascular and cancer contributions to dementia risk and neuropathology in oldest-old may improve risk modification and outcomes. OBJECTIVE Investigate the contributions of vascular factors and cancer to dementia and neuropathology. METHODS Longitudinal clinicopathologic study of prospectively followed Mayo Clinic participants dying≥95 years-old who underwent autopsy. Participants were stratified by dementia status and compared according to demographics, vascular risk factors, cancer, and neuropathology. RESULTS Participants (n = 161; 83% female; 99% non-Hispanic whites)≥95 years (95-106 years-old) with/without dementia did not differ based on demographics. APOE ɛ2 frequency was higher in no dementia (20/72 [28%]) versus dementia (11/88 [12%]; p = 0.03), but APOE ɛ4 frequency did not differ. Coronary artery disease was more frequent in no dementia (31/72 [43%]) versus dementia (23/89 [26%]; p = 0.03) associated with 56% lower dementia odds (odds ratio [OR] = 0.44 [confidence interval (CI) = 0.19-0.98]; p = 0.04) and fewer neuritic/diffuse plaques. Diabetes had an 8-fold increase in dementia odds (OR = 8.42 [CI = 1.39-163]; p = 0.02). Diabetes associated with higher cerebrovascular disease (Dickson score; p = 0.05). Cancer associated with 63% lower dementia odds (OR = 0.37 [CI = 0.17-0.78]; p < 0.01) and lower Braak stage (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION Cancer exposure in the oldest-old was associated with lower odds of dementia and tangle pathology, whereas history of coronary artery disease was associated with lower odds of dementia and amyloid-β plaque pathology. History of diabetes mellitus was associated with increased odds of dementia and cerebrovascular disease pathology. Cancer-related mechanisms and vascular risk factor reduction strategies may alter dementia risk and neuropathology in oldest-old.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Lachner
- Departments of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA,
Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Gregory S. Day
- Departments of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Naomi Kouri
- Departments of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner
- Departments of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA,
Departments of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | | | - John A. Lucas
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Habeeba Siddiqui
- Departments of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Julia E. Crook
- Departments of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - R. Ross Reichard
- Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Michelle M. Mielke
- Departments of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | | | | | - Melissa E. Murray
- Departments of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA,Correspondence to: Melissa E. Murray, PhD, Associate Professor, Translational Neuropathology Laboratory, Mayo Clinic Florida, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA. Tel.: +1 904 953 1083; Fax: +1 904 953 7117; E-mail:
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14
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Amyloid β, Lipid Metabolism, Basal Cholinergic System, and Therapeutics in Alzheimer’s Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012092. [PMID: 36292947 PMCID: PMC9603563 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of insoluble aggregates of amyloid β (Aβ) in the form of neuritic plaques (NPs) is one of the main features that define Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have suggested that the accumulation of these peptides in the brain significantly contributes to extensive neuronal loss. Furthermore, the content and distribution of cholesterol in the membrane have been shown to have an important effect on the production and subsequent accumulation of Aβ peptides in the plasma membrane, contributing to dysfunction and neuronal death. The monomeric forms of these membrane-bound peptides undergo several conformational changes, ranging from oligomeric forms to beta-sheet structures, each presenting different levels of toxicity. Aβ peptides can be internalized by particular receptors and trigger changes from Tau phosphorylation to alterations in cognitive function, through dysfunction of the cholinergic system. The goal of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on the role of lipids in Alzheimer’s disease and their relationship with the basal cholinergic system, as well as potential disease-modifying therapies.
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15
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Wang Y, Zhan M, Roebroeck A, De Weerd P, Kashyap S, Roberts MJ. Inconsistencies in atlas-based volumetric measures of the human nucleus basalis of Meynert: A need for high-resolution alternatives. Neuroimage 2022; 259:119421. [PMID: 35779763 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM) is the major source of cortical acetylcholine (ACh) and has been related to cognitive processes and to neurological disorders. However, spatially delineating the human nbM in MRI studies remains challenging. Due to the absence of a functional localiser for the human nbM, studies to date have localised it using nearby neuroanatomical landmarks or using probabilistic atlases. To understand the feasibility of MRI of the nbM we set our four goals; our first goal was to review current human nbM region-of-interest (ROI) selection protocols used in MRI studies, which we found have reported highly variable nbM volume estimates. Our next goal was to quantify and discuss the limitations of existing atlas-based volumetry of nbM. We found that the identified ROI volume depends heavily on the atlas used and on the probabilistic threshold set. In addition, we found large disparities even for data/studies using the same atlas and threshold. To test whether spatial resolution contributes to volume variability, as our third goal, we developed a novel nbM mask based on the normalized BigBrain dataset. We found that as long as the spatial resolution of the target data was 1.3 mm isotropic or above, our novel nbM mask offered realistic and stable volume estimates. Finally, as our last goal we tried to discern nbM using publicly available and novel high resolution structural MRI ex vivo MRI datasets. We find that, using an optimised 9.4T quantitative T2⁎ ex vivo dataset, the nbM can be visualised using MRI. We conclude caution is needed when applying the current methods of mapping nbM, especially for high resolution MRI data. Direct imaging of the nbM appears feasible and would eliminate the problems we identify, although further development is required to allow such imaging using standard (f)MRI scanning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yawen Wang
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
| | - Minye Zhan
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; U992 (Cognitive neuroimaging unit), NeuroSpin, INSERM-CEA, Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Alard Roebroeck
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Peter De Weerd
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Sriranga Kashyap
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Techna Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mark J Roberts
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
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16
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Schaeverbeke J, Tomé SO, Ronisz A, Ospitalieri S, von Arnim CAF, Otto M, Vandenberghe R, Thal DR. Neuronal loss of the nucleus basalis of Meynert in primary progressive aphasia is associated with Alzheimer's disease neuropathological changes. Alzheimers Dement 2022; 19:1440-1451. [PMID: 36170544 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Imaging studies indicated basal forebrain reduction in primary progressive aphasia (PPA), which might be a candidate marker for cholinergic treatment. Nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM) neuronal loss has been reported, but a systematic quantitative neuropathological assessment including the three clinical PPA variants is lacking. METHODS Quantitative assessment of neuronal density and pathology was performed on nbM tissue of 47 cases: 15 PPA, constituting the different clinicopathological phenotypes, 14 Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 18 cognitively normals. RESULTS Group-wise, reduced nbM neuronal density was restricted to AD. At the individual level, semantic variant PPA with underlying AD neuropathological change (ADNC) had lower neuronal densities, while those with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) transactive response DNA binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) type C pathology were unaffected. Higher Braak stages and increased numbers of nbM-related pretangles were associated with nbM neuronal loss. DISCUSSION nbM neuronal loss in PPA is related to ADNC. This study cautions against overinterpreting MRI-based basal forebrain volumes in non-AD PPA as neuronal loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolien Schaeverbeke
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sandra O Tomé
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alicja Ronisz
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Simona Ospitalieri
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Christine A F von Arnim
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Geriatrics, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Markus Otto
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University clinic, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Rik Vandenberghe
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dietmar Rudolf Thal
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pathology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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17
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Preclinical and randomized clinical evaluation of the p38α kinase inhibitor neflamapimod for basal forebrain cholinergic degeneration. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5308. [PMID: 36130946 PMCID: PMC9492778 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32944-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The endosome-associated GTPase Rab5 is a central player in the molecular mechanisms leading to degeneration of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCN), a long-standing target for drug development. As p38α is a Rab5 activator, we hypothesized that inhibition of this kinase holds potential as an approach to treat diseases associated with BFCN loss. Herein, we report that neflamapimod (oral small molecule p38α inhibitor) reduces Rab5 activity, reverses endosomal pathology, and restores the numbers and morphology of BFCNs in a mouse model that develops BFCN degeneration. We also report on the results of an exploratory (hypothesis-generating) phase 2a randomized double-blind 16-week placebo-controlled clinical trial (Clinical trial registration: NCT04001517/EudraCT #2019-001566-15) of neflamapimod in mild-to-moderate dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), a disease in which BFCN degeneration is an important driver of disease expression. A total of 91 participants, all receiving background cholinesterase inhibitor therapy, were randomized 1:1 between neflamapimod 40 mg or matching placebo capsules (taken orally twice-daily if weight <80 kg or thrice-daily if weight >80 kg). Neflamapimod does not show an effect in the clinical study on the primary endpoint, a cognitive-test battery. On two secondary endpoints, a measure of functional mobility and a dementia rating-scale, improvements were seen that are consistent with an effect on BFCN function. Neflamapimod treatment is well-tolerated with no study drug associated treatment discontinuations. The combined preclinical and clinical observations inform on the validity of the Rab5-based pathogenic model of cholinergic degeneration and provide a foundation for confirmatory (hypothesis-testing) clinical evaluation of neflamapimod in DLB.
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Moloney CM, Labuzan SA, Crook JE, Siddiqui H, Castanedes-Casey M, Lachner C, Petersen RC, Duara R, Graff-Radford NR, Dickson DW, Mielke MM, Murray ME. Phosphorylated tau sites that are elevated in Alzheimer's disease fluid biomarkers are visualized in early neurofibrillary tangle maturity levels in the post mortem brain. Alzheimers Dement 2022; 19:10.1002/alz.12749. [PMID: 35920592 PMCID: PMC9895127 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers are increasingly more reliable in predicting neuropathology. To facilitate interpretation of phosphorylated tau sites as an early fluid biomarker, we sought to characterize which neurofibrillary tangle maturity levels (pretangle, intermediary 1, mature tangle, intermediary 2, and ghost tangle) are recognized. METHODS We queried the Florida Autopsied Multi-Ethnic (FLAME) cohort for cases ranging from Braak stages I through VI, excluding non-AD neuropathologies and tauopathies. Thioflavin-S staining was compared to immunohistochemical measures of phosphorylated threonine (pT) 181, pT205, pT217, and pT231 in two hippocampal subsectors across n = 24 cases. RESULTS Each phosphorylated tau site immunohistochemically labeled early neurofibrillary tangle maturity levels compared to advanced levels recognized by thioflavin-S. Hippocampal burden generally increased with each Braak stage. DISCUSSION These results provide neurobiologic evidence that these phosphorylated tau fluid biomarker sites are present during early neurofibrillary tangle maturity levels and may explain why these fluid biomarker measures are observed before symptom onset. HIGHLIGHTS Immunohistochemical evaluation of four phosphorylated tau fluid biomarker sites. Earlier neurofibrillary tangle maturity levels recognized by phosphorylated tau in proline-rich region. Advanced tangle pathology is elevated in the subiculum compared to the cornu ammonis 1 of the hippocampus. Novel semi-quantitative frequency to calculate tangle maturity frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Julia E. Crook
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Habeeba Siddiqui
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Christian Lachner
- Division of Psychiatry, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Ranjan Duara
- Wien Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL, USA
| | | | | | - Michelle M. Mielke
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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Synthesis and evaluation of new 2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxamides as potent inhibitors against acetylcholinesterase enzyme. Med Chem Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00044-022-02922-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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20
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Coburn RP, Botha H, Graff-Radford J, Reichard RR, Jones DT, Ramanan VK. Dysexecutive Alzheimer's Disease with Lewy Body Disease Co-Pathology. Curr Alzheimer Res 2022; 19:330-333. [PMID: 35260054 DOI: 10.2174/1567205019666220308152219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease can present atypically as a progressive dysexecutive syndrome (dAD), an entity which preferentially affects younger individuals and is frequently misdiagnosed, highlighting the imperative for additional research. OBJECTIVE To characterize the clinical, antemortem neuroimaging, and postmortem neuropathologic features of two cases of young-onset dAD who displayed evidence of Lewy body disease (LBD) co-pathology at autopsy. METHODS Clinical histories, antemortem MRI and PET imaging, and postmortem neuropathologic data were reviewed for each patient. Case Descriptions/Results: Canonical features of dAD were observed in both cases, including progressive and predominant impairment in tasks related to working memory and cognitive flexibility, a lack of major behavioral/personality changes, and evidence of abnormal amyloid and tau deposition by antemortem amyloid and tau PET and postmortem neuropathology. Relative sparing of hippocampal involvement was observed in both individuals, in keeping with many cases of clinically atypical AD. One of the patients developed subtle parkinsonian signs as well as paranoia and irritability in the years prior to passing. In both cases, transitional (brainstem and limbic) LBD co-pathology was observed at autopsy. DISCUSSION Although LBD co-pathology is not uncommon in AD overall, the presence of LBD pathology in these young-onset cases of dAD (including a case with apparent symptomatic correlate) warrants further investigation for broader frequency and underlying pathophysiology. CONCLUSION A better understanding of which specific young-onset AD phenotypes are associated with LBD co-pathology would have important implications for counseling, treatment, clinical trial enrollment, and knowledge on disease mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P Coburn
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, USA
| | - Hugo Botha
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, USA
| | | | - R Ross Reichard
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, USA
| | - David T Jones
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, USA
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, USA
| | - Vijay K Ramanan
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, USA
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21
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Differential Transcriptome Profiling Unveils Novel Deregulated Gene Signatures Involved in Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10030611. [PMID: 35327413 PMCID: PMC8945049 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by a progressive loss of cognitive functions at a higher level than normal aging. Although the apolipoprotein (APOE) gene is a major risk factor in developing AD, other genes have also been reported to be linked with complex phenotypes. Therefore, this genome-wide expression study explored differentially expressed genes as possible novel biomarkers involved in AD. The mRNA expression dataset, GSE28146, containing 15 sample data composed of 7 AD cases from the hippocampus region with age-matched control (n = 8, >80 years), was analyzed. Using “affy” R-package, mRNA expression was calculated, while pathway enrichment analysis was performed to determine related biological processes. Of 58 differentially expressed genes, 44 downregulated and 14 upregulated genes were found to be significantly (p < 0.001) altered. The pathway enrichment analysis revealed two altered genes, i.e., dynein light chain 1 (DYNLL1) and kalirin (KLRN), associated with AD in the elderly population. The majority of genes were associated with retrograde endocannabinoid as well as vascular endothelial growth factors affecting the complex phenotypes. The DYNLL1 and KLRN genes may be involved with AD and Huntington’s disease (HD) phenotypes and represent a common genetic basis of these diseases. However, the hallmark of AD is dementia, while the classic motor sign of HD includes chorea. Our data warrant further investigation to identify the role of these genes in disease pathogenesis.
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22
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Smirnov DS, Salmon DP, Galasko D, Goodwill VS, Hansen LA, Zhao Y, Edland SD, Léger GC, Peavy GM, Jacobs DM, Rissman R, Pizzo DP, Hiniker A. Association of Neurofibrillary Tangle Distribution With Age at Onset-Related Clinical Heterogeneity in Alzheimer Disease: An Autopsy Study. Neurology 2022; 98:e506-e517. [PMID: 34810247 PMCID: PMC8826459 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000013107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Patients with earlier age at onset of sporadic Alzheimer disease (AD) are more likely than those with later onset to present with atypical clinical and cognitive features. We sought to determine whether this age-related clinical and cognitive heterogeneity is mediated by different topographic distributions of tau-aggregate neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) or by variable amounts of concomitant non-AD neuropathology. METHODS The relative distribution of NFT density in hippocampus and midfrontal neocortex was calculated, and α-synuclein, TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43), and microvascular copathologies were staged, in patients with severe AD and age at onset of 51-60 (n = 40), 61-70 (n = 41), and >70 (n = 40) years. Regression, mediation, and mixed effects models examined relationships of pathologic findings with clinical features and longitudinal cognitive decline. RESULTS Patients with later age at onset of AD were less likely to present with nonmemory complaints (odds ratio [OR] 0.46 per decade, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.22-0.88), psychiatric symptoms (β = -0.66, 95% CI -1.15 to -0.17), and functional impairment (β = -1.25, 95% CI -2.34 to -0.16). TDP-43 (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.23-3.35) and microvascular copathology (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.24-3.40) were more common in later onset AD, and α-synuclein copathology was not related to age at onset. NFT density in midfrontal cortex (β = -0.51, 95% CI -0.72 to -0.31) and midfrontal/hippocampal NFT ratio (β = -0.18, 95% CI -0.26 to -0.10) were lower in those with later age at onset. Executive function (β = 0.48, 95% CI 0.09-0.90) and visuospatial cognitive deficits (β = 0.97, 95% CI 0.46-1.46) were less impaired in patients with later age at onset. Mediation analyses showed that the effect of age at onset on severity of executive function deficits was mediated by midfrontal/hippocampal NFT ratio (β = 0.21, 95% CI 0.08-0.38) and not by concomitant non-AD pathologies. Midfrontal/hippocampal NFT ratio also mediated an association between earlier age at onset and faster decline on tests of global cognition, executive function, and visuospatial abilities. DISCUSSION Worse executive dysfunction and faster cognitive decline in people with sporadic AD with earlier rather than later age at onset is mediated by greater relative midfrontal neocortical to hippocampal NFT burden and not by concomitant non-AD neuropathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis S Smirnov
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - David P Salmon
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - Douglas Galasko
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - Vanessa S Goodwill
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - Lawrence A Hansen
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - Yu Zhao
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - Steven D Edland
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - Gabriel C Léger
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - Guerry M Peavy
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - Diane M Jacobs
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - Robert Rissman
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - Donald P Pizzo
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA
| | - Annie Hiniker
- From the Departments of Neurosciences (D.S.S., D.P.S., D.G., G.C.L., G.M.P., D.M.J., R.R., A.H.), Pathology (V.S.G., L.A.H., D.P.P., A.H.), and Family Medicine and Public Health (Y.Z., S.D.E.), University of California, San Diego; and VA San Diego Healthcare System (D.G., R.R., A.H.), CA.
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Farkas S, Szabó A, Török B, Sólyomvári C, Fazekas CL, Bánrévi K, Correia P, Chaves T, Zelena D. Ovariectomy-induced hormone deprivation aggravates Aβ 1-42 deposition in the basolateral amygdala and cholinergic fiber loss in the cortex but not cognitive behavioral symptoms in a triple transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:985424. [PMID: 36303870 PMCID: PMC9596151 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.985424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, being highly prevalent in elderly women. The advanced progression may be due to decreased hormone synthesis during post-menopause as estradiol and progesterone both have neuroprotective potentials. We aimed to confirm that female hormone depletion aggravates the progression of dementia in a triple transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (3xTg-AD). As pathological hallmarks are known to appear in 6-month-old animals, we expected to see disease-like changes in the 4-month-old 3xTg-AD mice only after hormone depletion. Three-month-old female 3xTg-AD mice were compared with their age-matched controls. As a menopause model, ovaries were removed (OVX or Sham surgery). After 1-month recovery, the body composition of the animals was measured by an MRI scan. The cognitive and anxiety parameters were evaluated by different behavioral tests, modeling different aspects (Y-maze, Morris water maze, open-field, social discrimination, elevated plus maze, light-dark box, fox odor, operant conditioning, and conditioned fear test). At the end of the experiment, uterus was collected, amyloid-β accumulation, and the cholinergic system in the brain was examined by immunohistochemistry. The uterus weight decreased, and the body weight increased significantly in the OVX animals. The MRI data showed that the body weight change can be due to fat accumulation. Moreover, OVX increased anxiety in control, but decreased in 3xTg-AD animals, the later genotype being more anxious by default based on the anxiety z-score. In general, 3xTg-AD mice moved less. In relation to cognition, neither the 3xTg-AD genotype nor OVX surgery impaired learning and memory in general. Despite no progression of dementia-like behavior after OVX, at the histological level, OVX aggravated the amyloid-β plaque deposition in the basolateral amygdala and induced early cholinergic neuronal fiber loss in the somatosensory cortex of the transgenic animals. We confirmed that OVX induced menopausal symptoms. Removal of the sexual steroids aggravated the appearance of AD-related alterations in the brain without significantly affecting the behavior. Thus, the OVX in young, 3-month-old 3xTg-AD mice might be a suitable model for testing the effect of new treatment options on structural changes; however, to reveal any beneficial effect on behavior, a later time point might be needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szidónia Farkas
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Adrienn Szabó
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bibiána Török
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Csenge Sólyomvári
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Csilla Lea Fazekas
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krisztina Bánrévi
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Pedro Correia
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tiago Chaves
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dóra Zelena
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- *Correspondence: Dóra Zelena,
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OUP accepted manuscript. Brain 2022; 145:2250-2275. [DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Jordan S, Zielinski M, Kortylewski M, Kuhn T, Bystritsky A. Noninvasive Delivery of Biologicals to the Brain. FOCUS (AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC PUBLISHING) 2022; 20:64-70. [PMID: 35746928 PMCID: PMC9063603 DOI: 10.1176/appi.focus.20210028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
In the past, psychotherapy and neuropharmacological approaches have been the most common treatments for disordered thoughts, moods, and behaviors. One new path of brain therapeutics is in the deployment of noninvasive approaches designed to reprogram brain function at the cellular level. Treatment at the cellular level may be considered for a wide array of disorders, ranging from mood disorders to neurodegenerative disorders. Brain-targeted biological therapy may provide minimally invasive and accurate delivery of treatment. The present article discusses the hurdles and advances that characterize the pathway to this goal.
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Duara R, Barker W. Heterogeneity in Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis and Progression Rates: Implications for Therapeutic Trials. Neurotherapeutics 2022; 19:8-25. [PMID: 35084721 PMCID: PMC9130395 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-022-01185-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The clinical presentation and the pathological processes underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be very heterogeneous in severity, location, and composition including the amount and distribution of AB deposition and spread of neurofibrillary tangles in different brain regions resulting in atypical clinical patterns and the existence of distinct AD variants. Heterogeneity in AD may be related to demographic factors (such as age, sex, educational and socioeconomic level) and genetic factors, which influence underlying pathology, the cognitive and behavioral phenotype, rate of progression, the occurrence of neuropsychiatric features, and the presence of comorbidities (e.g., vascular disease, neuroinflammation). Heterogeneity is also manifest in the individual resilience to the development of neuropathology (brain reserve) and the ability to compensate for its cognitive and functional impact (cognitive and functional reserve). The variability in specific cognitive profiles and types of functional impairment may be associated with different progression rates, and standard measures assessing progression may not be equivalent for individual cognitive and functional profiles. Other factors, which may govern the presence, rate, and type of progression of AD, include the individuals' general medical health, the presence of specific systemic conditions, and lifestyle factors, including physical exercise, cognitive and social stimulation, amount of leisure activities, environmental stressors, such as toxins and pollution, and the effects of medications used to treat medical and behavioral conditions. These factors that affect progression are important to consider while designing a clinical trial to ensure, as far as possible, well-balanced treatment and control groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranjan Duara
- Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL, USA
- Departments of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Warren Barker
- Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL, USA.
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Corriveau-Lecavalier N, Alden EC, Stricker NH, Machulda MM, Jones DT. OUP accepted manuscript. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2022; 37:1199-1207. [PMID: 35435228 PMCID: PMC9396449 DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acac016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Individuals with early-onset dysexecutive Alzheimer's disease (dAD) have high rates of failed performance validity testing (PVT), which can lead to symptom misinterpretation and misdiagnosis. METHOD The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate rates of failure on a common PVT, the test of memory malingering (TOMM), in a sample of clinical patients with biomarker-confirmed early-onset dAD who completed neuropsychological testing. RESULTS We identified seventeen patients with an average age of symptom onset at 52.25 years old. Nearly fifty percent of patients performed below recommended cut-offs on Trials 1 and 2 of the TOMM. Four of six patients who completed outside neuropsychological testing were misdiagnosed with alternative etiologies to explain their symptomatology, with two of these patients' performances deemed unreliable based on the TOMM. CONCLUSIONS Low scores on the TOMM should be interpreted in light of contextual and optimally biological information and do not necessarily rule out a neurodegenerative etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Corriveau-Lecavalier
- Corresponding author at: 200 First Street S.W., Rochester, MN 55905, USA. Tel/Fax: 507-266-4106; E-mail address:
| | - Eva C Alden
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Nikki H Stricker
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Mary M Machulda
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - David T Jones
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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Lin CP, Frigerio I, Boon BDC, Zhou Z, Rozemuller AJM, Bouwman FH, Schoonheim MM, van de Berg WDJ, Jonkman LE. OUP accepted manuscript. Brain 2022; 145:2869-2881. [PMID: 35259207 PMCID: PMC9420016 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive deficits in Alzheimer’s disease, specifically amnestic (memory dominant) deficits, are associated with cholinergic degeneration in the basal forebrain. The cholinergic nucleus within the basal forebrain, the nucleus basalis of Meynert, exhibits local atrophy and reduced cortical tract integrity on MRI, and reveals amyloid-β and phosphorylated-tau pathology at autopsy. To understand the pathophysiology of nucleus basalis of Meynert atrophy and its neocortical projections in Alzheimer’s disease, we used a combined post-mortem in situ MRI and histopathology approach. A total of 19 Alzheimer’s disease (10 amnestic and nine non-amnestic) and nine non-neurological control donors underwent 3 T T1-weighted MRI for anatomical delineation and volume assessment of the nucleus basalis of Meynert, and diffusion-weighted imaging for microstructural assessment of the nucleus and its projections. At subsequent brain autopsy, tissue dissection and immunohistochemistry were performed for amyloid-β, phosphorylated-tau and choline acetyltransferase. Compared to controls, we observed an MRI-derived volume reduction and altered microstructural integrity of the nucleus basalis of Meynert in Alzheimer’s disease donors. Furthermore, decreased cholinergic cell density was associated with reduced integrity of the nucleus and its tracts to the temporal lobe, specifically to the temporal pole of the superior temporal gyrus, and the parahippocampal gyrus. Exploratory post hoc subgroup analyses indicated that cholinergic cell density could be associated with cortical tract alterations in amnestic Alzheimer’s disease donors only. Our study illustrates that in Alzheimer’s disease, cholinergic degeneration in the nucleus basalis of Meynert may contribute to damaged cortical projections, specifically to the temporal lobe, leading to cognitive deterioration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Pei Lin
- Correspondence to: Chen-Pei Lin De Boelelaan 1117 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands E-mail:
| | - Irene Frigerio
- Amsterdam UMC, Location VUmc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Baayla D C Boon
- Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Pathology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC, Location VUmc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Alzheimer centrum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Zihan Zhou
- Zhejiang University, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang, China
| | - Annemieke J M Rozemuller
- Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Pathology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Femke H Bouwman
- Amsterdam UMC, Location VUmc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Alzheimer centrum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Menno M Schoonheim
- Amsterdam UMC, Location VUmc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Wilma D J van de Berg
- Amsterdam UMC, Location VUmc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laura E Jonkman
- Amsterdam UMC, Location VUmc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Jellinger KA. Recent update on the heterogeneity of the Alzheimer’s disease spectrum. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2021; 129:1-24. [DOI: 10.1007/s00702-021-02449-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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Molecular Imaging of the Cholinergic System in Alzheimer and Lewy Body Dementias: Expanding Views. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2021; 21:52. [PMID: 34545424 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-021-01140-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Brain cholinergic denervation is a major feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). We reviewed the topography assessed by a cholinergic molecular imaging study in these two major types of dementia. A small meta-analysis directly comparing vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) PET scans of AD vs. DLB patients is presented. RECENT FINDINGS VAChT PET studies showed evidence of extensive cortical cholinergic denervation in both forms of dementia, while multiple subcortical structures were also in DLB. Novel analysis revealed evidence of metathalamic denervation in AD, and epithalamus, premotor/sensorimotor cortical, and striatal losses in DLB. Topographically distinct cortical and subcortical cholinergic lesions can distinguish AD and DLB, and new structures have been highlighted here. Differential vulnerability of specific cholinergic projections is likely associated with specific clinical features of these disorders. Improved understanding of the mechanisms and roles of cholinergic neurotransmission in regions with cholinergic deficits may lead to symptomatic therapies.
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Tau-driven degeneration of sleep- and wake-regulating neurons in Alzheimer's disease. Sleep Med Rev 2021; 60:101541. [PMID: 34500400 DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Disturbances of the sleep/wake cycle in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are common, frequently precede cognitive decline, and tend to worsen with disease progression. Sleep is critical to the maintenance of homeostatic and circadian function, and chronic sleep disturbances have significant cognitive and physical health consequences that likely exacerbate disease severity. Sleep-wake cycles are regulated by neuromodulatory centers located in the brainstem, the hypothalamus, and the basal forebrain, many of which are vulnerable to the accumulation of abnormal protein deposits associated with neurodegenerative conditions. In AD, while sleep disturbances are commonly attributed to the accumulation of amyloid beta, patients often first experience sleep issues prior to the appearance of amyloid beta plaques, on a timeline that more closely corresponds to the first appearance of abnormal tau neurofibrillary tangles in sleep/wake regulating areas of the brainstem. Sleep disturbances also occur in pure tauopathies, providing further support that tau is a major contributor. Here, we provide an overview of the neuroanatomy of sleep/wake centers discovered in animal models, and review the evidence that tau-driven neuropathology is a primary driver of sleep disturbance in AD.
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Vogel JW, Young AL, Oxtoby NP, Smith R, Ossenkoppele R, Strandberg OT, La Joie R, Aksman LM, Grothe MJ, Iturria-Medina Y, Pontecorvo MJ, Devous MD, Rabinovici GD, Alexander DC, Lyoo CH, Evans AC, Hansson O. Four distinct trajectories of tau deposition identified in Alzheimer's disease. Nat Med 2021; 27:871-881. [PMID: 33927414 PMCID: PMC8686688 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01309-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 319] [Impact Index Per Article: 106.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the spread of tau pathology throughout the cerebral cortex. This spreading pattern was thought to be fairly consistent across individuals, although recent work has demonstrated substantial variability in the population with AD. Using tau-positron emission tomography scans from 1,612 individuals, we identified 4 distinct spatiotemporal trajectories of tau pathology, ranging in prevalence from 18 to 33%. We replicated previously described limbic-predominant and medial temporal lobe-sparing patterns, while also discovering posterior and lateral temporal patterns resembling atypical clinical variants of AD. These 'subtypes' were stable during longitudinal follow-up and were replicated in a separate sample using a different radiotracer. The subtypes presented with distinct demographic and cognitive profiles and differing longitudinal outcomes. Additionally, network diffusion models implied that pathology originates and spreads through distinct corticolimbic networks in the different subtypes. Together, our results suggest that variation in tau pathology is common and systematic, perhaps warranting a re-examination of the notion of 'typical AD' and a revisiting of tau pathological staging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob W Vogel
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Alexandra L Young
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Neil P Oxtoby
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ruben Smith
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Neurology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Rik Ossenkoppele
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Renaud La Joie
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Leon M Aksman
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Michel J Grothe
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Gil D Rabinovici
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Daniel C Alexander
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Chul Hyoung Lyoo
- Departments of Neurology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Alan C Evans
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Oskar Hansson
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
- Memory Clinic, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.
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Crist AM, Hinkle KM, Wang X, Moloney CM, Matchett BJ, Labuzan SA, Frankenhauser I, Azu NO, Liesinger AM, Lesser ER, Serie DJ, Quicksall ZS, Patel TA, Carnwath TP, DeTure M, Tang X, Petersen RC, Duara R, Graff-Radford NR, Allen M, Carrasquillo MM, Li H, Ross OA, Ertekin-Taner N, Dickson DW, Asmann YW, Carter RE, Murray ME. Transcriptomic analysis to identify genes associated with selective hippocampal vulnerability in Alzheimer's disease. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2311. [PMID: 33875655 PMCID: PMC8055900 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22399-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Selective vulnerability of different brain regions is seen in many neurodegenerative disorders. The hippocampus and cortex are selectively vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease (AD), however the degree of involvement of the different brain regions differs among patients. We classified corticolimbic patterns of neurofibrillary tangles in postmortem tissue to capture extreme and representative phenotypes. We combined bulk RNA sequencing with digital pathology to examine hippocampal vulnerability in AD. We identified hippocampal gene expression changes associated with hippocampal vulnerability and used machine learning to identify genes that were associated with AD neuropathology, including SERPINA5, RYBP, SLC38A2, FEM1B, and PYDC1. Further histologic and biochemical analyses suggested SERPINA5 expression is associated with tau expression in the brain. Our study highlights the importance of embracing heterogeneity of the human brain in disease to identify disease-relevant gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M Crist
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Kelly M Hinkle
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Xue Wang
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | | | | | - Isabelle Frankenhauser
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
- Paracelsus Medical Private University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Nkem O Azu
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth R Lesser
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Daniel J Serie
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Tulsi A Patel
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Troy P Carnwath
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Michael DeTure
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Xiaojia Tang
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | | | - Ranjan Duara
- Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL, USA
| | | | - Mariet Allen
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Hu Li
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Owen A Ross
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Yan W Asmann
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Rickey E Carter
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
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Richardson K, Wharton SB, Grossi CM, Matthews FE, Fox C, Maidment I, Loke YK, Steel N, Arthur A, Myint PK, Boustani M, Campbell N, Robinson L, Brayne C, Savva GM. Neuropathological Correlates of Cumulative Benzodiazepine and Anticholinergic Drug Use. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 74:999-1009. [PMID: 32116256 DOI: 10.3233/jad-191199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Benzodiazepines and anticholinergic drugs have been implicated in causing cognitive decline and potentially increasing dementia risk. However, evidence for an association with neuropathology is limited. OBJECTIVE To estimate the correlation between neuropathology at death and prior use of benzodiazepines and anticholinergic drugs. METHODS We categorized 298 brain donors from the population-based Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study, according to their history of benzodiazepine (including Z-drugs) or anticholinergic medication (drugs scoring 3 on the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden scale) use. We used logistic regression to compare dichotomized neuropathological features for those with and without history of benzodiazepine and anticholinergic drug use before dementia, adjusted for confounders. RESULTS Forty-nine (16%) and 51 (17%) participants reported benzodiazepine and anticholinergic drug use. Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change was similar whether or not exposed to either drug, for example 46% and 57% had intermediate/high levels among those with and without anticholinergic drug use. Although not significant after multiple testing adjustments, we estimated an odds ratio (OR) of 0.40 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.18-0.87) for anticholinergic use and cortical atrophy. For benzodiazepine use, we estimated ORs of 4.63 (1.11-19.24) and 3.30 (1.02-10.68) for neuronal loss in the nucleus basalis and substantial nigra. There was evidence of neuronal loss in the nucleus basalis with anticholinergic drug use, but the association reduced when adjusted for confounders. CONCLUSIONS We found no evidence that benzodiazepine or anticholinergic drug use is associated with typical pathological features of Alzheimer's disease; however, we cannot rule out effects owing to small numbers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephen B Wharton
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Carlota M Grossi
- School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Fiona E Matthews
- Institute of Health and Society/Institute for Ageing, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Chris Fox
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Ian Maidment
- School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
| | - Yoon K Loke
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Nicholas Steel
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Antony Arthur
- School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Phyo Kyaw Myint
- Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Malaz Boustani
- School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Noll Campbell
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Louise Robinson
- Institute of Health and Society/Institute for Ageing, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Carol Brayne
- Cambridge Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - George M Savva
- School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.,Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
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Buckley RF. Recent Advances in Imaging of Preclinical, Sporadic, and Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease. Neurotherapeutics 2021; 18:709-727. [PMID: 33782864 PMCID: PMC8423933 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-021-01026-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Observing Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathological changes in vivo with neuroimaging provides invaluable opportunities to understand and predict the course of disease. Neuroimaging AD biomarkers also allow for real-time tracking of disease-modifying treatment in clinical trials. With recent neuroimaging advances, along with the burgeoning availability of longitudinal neuroimaging data and big-data harmonization approaches, a more comprehensive evaluation of the disease has shed light on the topographical staging and temporal sequencing of the disease. Multimodal imaging approaches have also promoted the development of data-driven models of AD-associated pathological propagation of tau proteinopathies. Studies of autosomal dominant, early sporadic, and late sporadic courses of the disease have shed unique insights into the AD pathological cascade, particularly with regard to genetic vulnerabilities and the identification of potential drug targets. Further, neuroimaging markers of b-amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration have provided a powerful tool for validation of novel fluid cerebrospinal and plasma markers. This review highlights some of the latest advances in the field of human neuroimaging in AD across these topics, particularly with respect to positron emission tomography and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel F Buckley
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital & Brigham and Women's, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences and Florey Institutes, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th St, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.
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Pentz R, Iulita MF, Ducatenzeiler A, Videla L, Benejam B, Carmona‐Iragui M, Blesa R, Lleó A, Fortea J, Cuello AC. Nerve growth factor (NGF) pathway biomarkers in Down syndrome prior to and after the onset of clinical Alzheimer's disease: A paired CSF and plasma study. Alzheimers Dement 2021; 17:605-617. [PMID: 33226181 PMCID: PMC8043977 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The discovery that nerve growth factor (NGF) metabolism is altered in Down syndrome (DS) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains offered a framework for the identification of novel biomarkers signalling NGF deregulation in AD pathology. METHODS We examined levels of NGF pathway proteins (proNGF, neuroserpin, tissue plasminogen activator [tPA], and metalloproteases [MMP]) in matched cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)/plasma samples from AD-symptomatic (DSAD) and AD-asymptomatic (aDS) individuals with DS, as well as controls (HC). RESULTS ProNGF and MMP-3 were elevated while tPA was decreased in plasma from individuals with DS. CSF from individuals with DS showed elevated proNGF, neuroserpin, MMP-3, and MMP-9. ProNGF and MMP-9 in CSF differentiated DSAD from aDS (area under the curve = 0.86, 0.87). NGF pathway markers associated with CSF amyloid beta and tau and differed by sex. DISCUSSION Brain NGF metabolism changes can be monitored in plasma and CSF, supporting relevance in AD pathology. These markers could assist staging, subtyping, or precision medicine for AD in DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan Pentz
- Department of Neurology and NeurosurgeryMcGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - M. Florencia Iulita
- Department of Pharmacology and TherapeuticsMcGill UniversityMontrealCanada
- Sant Pau Memory UnitDepartment of NeurologyHospital de la Santa Creu i Sant PauBiomedical Research Institute Sant PauUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Center of Biomedical Investigation Network for Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED)MadridSpain
| | | | - Laura Videla
- Sant Pau Memory UnitDepartment of NeurologyHospital de la Santa Creu i Sant PauBiomedical Research Institute Sant PauUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Center of Biomedical Investigation Network for Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED)MadridSpain
- Barcelona Down Medical CenterFundación Catalana Síndrome de DownBarcelonaSpain
| | - Bessy Benejam
- Sant Pau Memory UnitDepartment of NeurologyHospital de la Santa Creu i Sant PauBiomedical Research Institute Sant PauUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Center of Biomedical Investigation Network for Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED)MadridSpain
- Barcelona Down Medical CenterFundación Catalana Síndrome de DownBarcelonaSpain
| | - María Carmona‐Iragui
- Sant Pau Memory UnitDepartment of NeurologyHospital de la Santa Creu i Sant PauBiomedical Research Institute Sant PauUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Center of Biomedical Investigation Network for Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED)MadridSpain
- Barcelona Down Medical CenterFundación Catalana Síndrome de DownBarcelonaSpain
| | - Rafael Blesa
- Sant Pau Memory UnitDepartment of NeurologyHospital de la Santa Creu i Sant PauBiomedical Research Institute Sant PauUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Center of Biomedical Investigation Network for Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED)MadridSpain
| | - Alberto Lleó
- Sant Pau Memory UnitDepartment of NeurologyHospital de la Santa Creu i Sant PauBiomedical Research Institute Sant PauUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Center of Biomedical Investigation Network for Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED)MadridSpain
| | - Juan Fortea
- Sant Pau Memory UnitDepartment of NeurologyHospital de la Santa Creu i Sant PauBiomedical Research Institute Sant PauUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Center of Biomedical Investigation Network for Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED)MadridSpain
- Barcelona Down Medical CenterFundación Catalana Síndrome de DownBarcelonaSpain
| | - A. Claudio Cuello
- Department of Neurology and NeurosurgeryMcGill UniversityMontrealCanada
- Department of Pharmacology and TherapeuticsMcGill UniversityMontrealCanada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell BiologyMcGill UniversityMontrealCanada
- Department of PharmacologyOxford UniversityOxfordUK
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Graff-Radford J, Yong KXX, Apostolova LG, Bouwman FH, Carrillo M, Dickerson BC, Rabinovici GD, Schott JM, Jones DT, Murray ME. New insights into atypical Alzheimer's disease in the era of biomarkers. Lancet Neurol 2021; 20:222-234. [PMID: 33609479 PMCID: PMC8056394 DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(20)30440-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 66.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Most patients with Alzheimer's disease present with amnestic problems; however, a substantial proportion, over-represented in young-onset cases, have atypical phenotypes including predominant visual, language, executive, behavioural, or motor dysfunction. In the past, these individuals often received a late diagnosis; however, availability of CSF and PET biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease pathologies and incorporation of atypical forms of Alzheimer's disease into new diagnostic criteria increasingly allows them to be more confidently diagnosed early in their illness. This early diagnosis in turn allows patients to be offered tailored information, appropriate care and support, and individualised treatment plans. These advances will provide improved access to clinical trials, which often exclude atypical phenotypes. Research into atypical Alzheimer's disease has revealed previously unrecognised neuropathological heterogeneity across the Alzheimer's disease spectrum. Neuroimaging, genetic, biomarker, and basic science studies are providing key insights into the factors that might drive selective vulnerability of differing brain networks, with potential mechanistic implications for understanding typical late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Keir X. X. Yong
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Liana G. Apostolova
- Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Femke H. Bouwman
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam University Medical Center
| | | | - Bradford C. Dickerson
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gil D. Rabinovici
- Departments of Neurology, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan M. Schott
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - David T. Jones
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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Olajide OJ, Suvanto ME, Chapman CA. Molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration in the entorhinal cortex that underlie its selective vulnerability during the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Biol Open 2021; 10:bio056796. [PMID: 33495355 PMCID: PMC7860115 DOI: 10.1242/bio.056796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The entorhinal cortex (EC) is a vital component of the medial temporal lobe, and its contributions to cognitive processes and memory formation are supported through its extensive interconnections with the hippocampal formation. During the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), many of the earliest degenerative changes are seen within the EC. Neurodegeneration in the EC and hippocampus during AD has been clearly linked to impairments in memory and cognitive function, and a growing body of evidence indicates that molecular and functional neurodegeneration within the EC may play a primary role in cognitive decline in the early phases of AD. Defining the mechanisms underlying molecular neurodegeneration in the EC is crucial to determining its contributions to the pathogenesis of AD. Surprisingly few studies have focused on understanding the mechanisms of molecular neurodegeneration and selective vulnerability within the EC. However, there have been advancements indicating that early dysregulation of cellular and molecular signaling pathways in the EC involve neurodegenerative cascades including oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, glia activation, stress kinases activation, and neuronal loss. Dysfunction within the EC can impact the function of the hippocampus, which relies on entorhinal inputs, and further degeneration within the hippocampus can compound this effect, leading to severe cognitive disruption. This review assesses the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying early degeneration in the EC during AD. These mechanisms may underlie the selective vulnerability of neuronal subpopulations in this brain region to the disease development and contribute both directly and indirectly to cognitive loss.This paper has an associated Future Leader to Watch interview with the first author of the article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olayemi Joseph Olajide
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Anatomy, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria, PMB 1515
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada H4B 1R6
| | - Marcus E Suvanto
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada H4B 1R6
| | - Clifton Andrew Chapman
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada H4B 1R6
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Influence of Acetylcholine Esterase Inhibitors and Memantine, Clinically Approved for Alzheimer's Dementia Treatment, on Intestinal Properties of the Mouse. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22031015. [PMID: 33498392 PMCID: PMC7864027 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Four drugs are currently approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by the FDA. Three of these drugs—donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine—belong to the class of acetylcholine esterase inhibitors. Memantine, a NMDA receptor antagonist, represents the fourth and a combination of donepezil and memantine the fifth treatment option. Recently, the gut and its habitants, its microbiome, came into focus of AD research and added another important factor to therapeutic considerations. While the first data provide evidence that AD patients might carry an altered microbiome, the influence of administered drugs on gut properties and commensals have been largely ignored so far. However, the occurrence of digestive side effects with these drugs and the knowledge that cholinergic transmission is crucial for several gut functions enforces the question if, and how, this medication influences the gastrointestinal system and its microbial stocking. Here, we investigated aspects such as microbial viability, colonic propulsion, and properties of enteric neurons, affected by assumed intestinal concentration of the four drugs using the mouse as a model organism. All ex vivo administered drugs revealed no direct effect on fecal bacteria viability and only a high dosage of memantine resulted in reduced biofilm formation of E. coli. Memantine was additionally the only compound that elevated calcium influx in enteric neurons, while all acetylcholine esterase inhibitors significantly reduced esterase activity in colonic tissue specimen and prolonged propulsion time. Both, acetylcholine esterase inhibitors and memantine, had no effect on general viability and neurite outgrowth of enteric neurons. In sum, our findings indicate that all AD symptomatic drugs have the potential to affect distinct intestinal functions and with this—directly or indirectly—microbial commensals.
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40
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Al-Otaibi M, Lessard-Beaudoin M, Castellano CA, Gris D, Cunnane SC, Graham RK. Volumetric MRI demonstrates atrophy of the olfactory cortex in AD. Curr Alzheimer Res 2020; 17:904-915. [PMID: 33327913 DOI: 10.2174/1567205017666201215120909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Alzheimer disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Symptoms include memory dysfunction and deficits in attention, planning, language, and overall cognitive function. Olfactory dysfunction is a common symptom of AD and evidence supports that it is an early marker. Furthermore, olfactory bulb and entorhinal cortex atrophy are well described in AD. However, in AD, no studies have assessed the olfactory cortex as a whole and if sex effects are observed. METHODS Magnetic Resonance Imaging was used to scan 39 participants with an average age of 72 years and included men and women. AAL Single-Subject Atlas (implemented in PNEURO tool - PMOD 3.8) was used to determine the volume of the olfactory cortex and the hippocampus. Olfactory cortex volume was lower in both men and women AD cases compared with controls. This decrease was more apparent in the left olfactory cortex and was influenced by age. As expected, hippocampal volume was also significantly reduced in AD. However, this was only observed in the male cohort. A significant correlation was observed between levels of education and hippocampal volume in controls that were not detected in the AD participants. Asymmetry was observed in the olfactory cortex volume when comparing left and right volumes in both the control and AD participants, which was not observed in the hippocampus. RESULTS These data highlight the importance of the role of olfactory cortical atrophy in the pathogenesis of AD and the interplay between the olfactory deficits and degeneration of olfactory regions in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Denis Gris
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Stephen C Cunnane
- Research Center on Aging, CIUSSS-IUGS de l'Estrie-CHUS, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Rona K Graham
- Research Center on Aging, CIUSSS-IUGS de l'Estrie-CHUS, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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Emrani S, Arain HA, DeMarshall C, Nuriel T. APOE4 is associated with cognitive and pathological heterogeneity in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review. ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH & THERAPY 2020; 12:141. [PMID: 33148345 PMCID: PMC7643479 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-020-00712-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Possession of the ε4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE) is the primary genetic risk factor for the sporadic form of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While researchers have extensively characterized the impact that APOE ε4 (APOE4) has on the susceptibility of AD, far fewer studies have investigated the phenotypic differences of patients with AD who are APOE4 carriers vs. those who are non-carriers. In order to understand these differences, we performed a qualitative systematic literature review of the reported cognitive and pathological differences between APOE4-positive (APOE4+) vs. APOE4-negative (APOE4−) AD patients. The studies performed on this topic to date suggest that APOE4 is not only an important mediator of AD susceptibility, but that it likely confers specific phenotypic heterogeneity in AD presentation, as well. Specifically, APOE4+ AD patients appear to possess more tau accumulation and brain atrophy in the medial temporal lobe, resulting in greater memory impairment, compared to APOE4− AD patients. On the other hand, APOE4− AD patients appear to possess more tau accumulation and brain atrophy in the frontal and parietal lobes, resulting in greater impairment in executive function, visuospatial abilities, and language, compared to APOE4+ AD patients. Although more work is necessary to validate and interrogate these findings, these initial observations of pathological and cognitive heterogeneity between APOE4+ vs. APOE4− AD patients suggest that there is a fundamental divergence in AD manifestation related to APOE genotype, which may have important implications in regard to the therapeutic treatment of these two patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheina Emrani
- Department of Psychology, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ, 08028, USA
| | - Hirra A Arain
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA.,Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Cassandra DeMarshall
- Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, One Medical Center Drive, Stratford, NJ, 08084, USA
| | - Tal Nuriel
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA. .,Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
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McAleese KE, Walker L, Erskine D, Johnson M, Koss D, Thomas AJ, Attems J. Concomitant LATE-NC in Alzheimer's disease is not associated with increased tau or amyloid-β pathological burden. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2020; 46:722-734. [PMID: 32896913 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathological change (LATE-NC) is present in approximately 50% of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases and is associated with accelerated cognitive decline. Studies indicate a potential synergistic relationship between LATE-NC and hyperphosphorylated tau. It is unknown if LATE-NC is an independent driver of cognitive impairment or exerts its influence through synergistic relationships with tau. This cliniconeuropathological study investigated the impact of LATE-NC on quantified measures of AD-associated pathology and its impact on clinical measures. METHODS A total of 61 AD cases underwent neuropathological assessment for LATE-NC and quantitative assessment [area covered by immunoreactivity (IR)] for early conformational tau (MC-1), late-stage hyperphosphorylated tau (AT8) and amyloid-β in the amygdala and five neocortical regions. Clinical measures included age of disease onset, final Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and rate of cognitive decline. RESULTS LATE-NC was present in 41 AD cases (AD/LATE-NC; 67.2%). No significant differences in MC-1-IR, AT8-IR or 4G8-IR were observed in any region between AD/LATE-NC and AD without LATE-NC, indicating no accelerated aggregation or hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins in the AD/LATE-NC cases. Final MMSE was significantly lower in AD/LATE-NC cases and was significantly associated with LATE-NC score even when controlled for the presence of both MC-1-IR and AT8-IR (P = 0.009). CONCLUSION The presence of LATE-NC in AD is not associated with an increase in the burden of early or late tau or Aβ pathology. LATE-NC is associated with a lower final MMSE score independent of tau pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E McAleese
- Translation and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - L Walker
- Translation and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - D Erskine
- Translation and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - M Johnson
- Translation and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - D Koss
- Translation and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - A J Thomas
- Translation and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - J Attems
- Translation and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
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Improving Anti-Neurodegenerative Benefits of Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors in Alzheimer's Disease: Are Irreversible Inhibitors the Future? Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21103438. [PMID: 32414155 PMCID: PMC7279429 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21103438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Decades of research have produced no effective method to prevent, delay the onset, or slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In contrast to these failures, acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) inhibitors slow the clinical progression of the disease and randomized, placebo-controlled trials in prodromal and mild to moderate AD patients have shown AChE inhibitor anti-neurodegenerative benefits in the cortex, hippocampus, and basal forebrain. CNS neurodegeneration and atrophy are now recognized as biomarkers of AD according to the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association (NIA-AA) criteria and recent evidence shows that these markers are among the earliest signs of prodromal AD, before the appearance of amyloid. The current AChE inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine) have short-acting mechanisms of action that result in dose-limiting toxicity and inadequate efficacy. Irreversible AChE inhibitors, with a long-acting mechanism of action, are inherently CNS selective and can more than double CNS AChE inhibition possible with short-acting inhibitors. Irreversible AChE inhibitors open the door to high-level CNS AChE inhibition and improved anti-neurodegenerative benefits that may be an important part of future treatments to more effectively prevent, delay the onset, or slow the progression of AD.
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Fernández-Cabello S, Kronbichler M, Van Dijk KRA, Goodman JA, Spreng RN, Schmitz TW. Basal forebrain volume reliably predicts the cortical spread of Alzheimer's degeneration. Brain 2020; 143:993-1009. [PMID: 32203580 PMCID: PMC7092749 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease neurodegeneration is thought to spread across anatomically and functionally connected brain regions. However, the precise sequence of spread remains ambiguous. The prevailing model used to guide in vivo human neuroimaging and non-human animal research assumes that Alzheimer's degeneration starts in the entorhinal cortices, before spreading to the temporoparietal cortex. Challenging this model, we previously provided evidence that in vivo markers of neurodegeneration within the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NbM), a subregion of the basal forebrain heavily populated by cortically projecting cholinergic neurons, precedes and predicts entorhinal degeneration. There have been few systematic attempts at directly comparing staging models using in vivo longitudinal biomarker data, and none to our knowledge testing if comparative evidence generalizes across independent samples. Here we addressed the sequence of pathological staging in Alzheimer's disease using two independent samples of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (n1 = 284; n2 = 553) with harmonized CSF assays of amyloid-β and hyperphosphorylated tau (pTau), and longitudinal structural MRI data over 2 years. We derived measures of grey matter degeneration in a priori NbM and the entorhinal cortical regions of interest. To examine the spreading of degeneration, we used a predictive modelling strategy that tests whether baseline grey matter volume in a seed region accounts for longitudinal change in a target region. We demonstrated that predictive spread favoured the NbM→entorhinal over the entorhinal→NbM model. This evidence generalized across the independent samples. We also showed that CSF concentrations of pTau/amyloid-β moderated the observed predictive relationship, consistent with evidence in rodent models of an underlying trans-synaptic mechanism of pathophysiological spread. The moderating effect of CSF was robust to additional factors, including clinical diagnosis. We then applied our predictive modelling strategy to an exploratory whole-brain voxel-wise analysis to examine the spatial specificity of the NbM→entorhinal model. We found that smaller baseline NbM volumes predicted greater degeneration in localized regions of the entorhinal and perirhinal cortices. By contrast, smaller baseline entorhinal volumes predicted degeneration in the medial temporal cortex, recapitulating a prior influential staging model. Our findings suggest that degeneration of the basal forebrain cholinergic projection system is a robust and reliable upstream event of entorhinal and neocortical degeneration, calling into question a prevailing view of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Fernández-Cabello
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Martin Kronbichler
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian-Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Koene R A Van Dijk
- Clinical and Translational Imaging, Early Clinical Development, Pfizer Inc, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - James A Goodman
- Clinical and Translational Imaging, Early Clinical Development, Pfizer Inc, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Taylor W Schmitz
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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Mold MJ, O’Farrell A, Morris B, Exley C. Aluminum and Neurofibrillary Tangle Co-Localization in Familial Alzheimer's Disease and Related Neurological Disorders. J Alzheimers Dis 2020; 78:139-149. [PMID: 32925074 PMCID: PMC7683092 DOI: 10.3233/jad-200838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Protein misfolding disorders are frequently implicated in neurodegenerative conditions. Familial Alzheimer's disease (fAD) is an early-onset and aggressive form of Alzheimer's disease (AD), driven through autosomal dominant mutations in genes encoding the amyloid precursor protein and presenilins 1 and 2. The incidence of epilepsy is higher in AD patients with shared neuropathological hallmarks in both disease states, including the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Similarly, in Parkinson's disease, dementia onset is known to follow neurofibrillary tangle deposition. OBJECTIVE Human exposure to aluminum has been linked to the etiology of neurodegenerative conditions and recent studies have demonstrated a high level of co-localization between amyloid-β and aluminum in fAD. In contrast, in a donor exposed to high levels of aluminum later developing late-onset epilepsy, aluminum and neurofibrillary tangles were found to deposit independently. Herein, we sought to identify aluminum and neurofibrillary tangles in fAD, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy donors. METHODS Aluminum-specific fluorescence microscopy was used to identify aluminum in neurofibrillary tangles in human brain tissue. RESULTS We observed aluminum and neurofibrillary-like tangles in identical cells in all respective disease states. Co-deposition varied across brain regions, with aluminum and neurofibrillary tangles depositing in different cellular locations of the same cell. CONCLUSION Neurofibrillary tangle deposition closely follows cognitive-decline, and in epilepsy, tau phosphorylation associates with increased mossy fiber sprouting and seizure onset. Therefore, the presence of aluminum in these cells may exacerbate the accumulation and misfolding of amyloidogenic proteins including hyperphosphorylated tau in fAD, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew John Mold
- The Birchall Centre, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Adam O’Farrell
- School of Life Sciences, Huxley Building, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Benjamin Morris
- School of Life Sciences, Huxley Building, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Christopher Exley
- The Birchall Centre, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, UK
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