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De Simone MS, Spalletta G, Vecchio D, Bassi A, Carlesimo GA, Piras F. The Role of the Anterior Thalamic Nuclei in the Genesis of Memory Disorders in Alzheimer's Disease: An Exploratory Study. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 97:507-519. [PMID: 38189755 DOI: 10.3233/jad-230606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasing evidence is demonstrating that degeneration of specific thalamic nuclei, in addition to the hippocampus, may occur in Alzheimer's disease (AD) from the prodromal stage (mild cognitive impairment - MCI) and contribute to memory impairment. OBJECTIVE Here, we evaluated the presence of macro and micro structural alterations at the level of the anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) and medio-dorsal thalamic nuclei (MDTN) in AD and amnestic MCI (aMCI) and the possible relationship between such changes and the severity of memory impairment. METHODS For this purpose, a sample of 50 patients with aMCI, 50 with AD, and 50 age- and education-matched healthy controls (HC) were submitted to a 3-T MRI protocol with whole-brain T1-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging and a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. RESULTS At macro-structural level, both the ATN and MDTN were found significantly smaller in patients with aMCI and AD when compared to HC subjects. At micro-structural level, instead, diffusion alterations that significantly differentiated aMCI and AD patients from HC subjects were found only in the ATN, but not in the MDTN. Moreover, diffusion values of the ATN were significantly associated with poor episodic memory in the overall patients' group. CONCLUSIONS These findings represent the first in vivo evidence of a relevant involvement of ATN in the AD-related neurodegeneration and memory profile and strengthen the importance to look beyond the hippocampus when considering neurological conditions characterized by memory decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Stefania De Simone
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Niccolò Cusano University, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Spalletta
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniela Vecchio
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Bassi
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Augusto Carlesimo
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
- Senior Authors
| | - Fabrizio Piras
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Senior Authors
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De Simone MS, Rodini M, De Tollis M, Caltagirone C, Carlesimo GA. Exploring mechanisms that affect retrograde memory for public events in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: A longitudinal update. J Neuropsychol 2023; 17:450-460. [PMID: 37067044 DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Here, we examined mechanisms that affect retrograde memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) as a function of longitudinal clinical outcome. 8 a-MCI who converted to Alzheimer's dementia (AD) during the subsequent 3-year follow-up (converter a-MCI) and 10 a-MCI who remained clinically stable during the same period (stable a-MCI) were compared at the baseline evaluation (i.e., when they were diagnosed as a-MCI) using a remote memory questionnaire for public events that allows disentangling the differential contribution of storage and retrieval mechanisms to performance accuracy. Results suggest that deficits in remote memory are primarily explained by impaired retrieval abilities in stable a-MCI and by impaired storage in converter-to-AD a-MCI. This distinction between retrograde amnesia due to defective trace utilisation in stable a-MCI and trace storage in converter a-MCI is consistent with the temporal unfolding of declining anterograde memory over the course of disease progression to AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Stefania De Simone
- Niccolò Cusano University, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Marta Rodini
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo De Tollis
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Caltagirone
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Augusto Carlesimo
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
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Soto PL, Young ME, DiMarco GM, George B, Melnikova T, Savonenko AV, Harris BN. Longitudinal assessment of cognitive function in the APPswe/PS1dE9 mouse model of Alzheimer's-related beta-amyloidosis. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 128:85-99. [PMID: 37120419 PMCID: PMC10239324 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.03.010] [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: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Preclinical models of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related cognitive decline can be useful for developing therapeutics. The current study longitudinally assessed short-term memory, using a delayed matching-to-position (DMTP) task, and attention, using a 3-choice serial reaction time (3CSRT) task, from approximately 18 weeks of age through death or 72 weeks of age in APPswe/PS1dE9 mice, a widely used mouse model of AD-related amyloidosis. Both transgenic (Tg) and non-Tg mice exhibited improvements in DMTP accuracy over time. Breaks in testing reduced DMTP accuracy but accuracy values quickly recovered in both Tg and non-Tg mice. Both Tg and non-Tg mice exhibited high accuracy in the 3CSRT task with breaks in testing briefly reducing accuracy values equivalently in the 2 genotypes. The current results raise the possibility that deficits in Tg APPswe/PS1dE9 mice involve impairments in learning rather than declines in established performances. A better understanding of the factors that determine whether deficits develop will be useful for designing evaluations of potential pharmacotherapeutics and may reveal interventions for clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul L Soto
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
| | - Michael E Young
- Department of Psychology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Giuliana M DiMarco
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Brianna George
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Tatiana Melnikova
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alena V Savonenko
- Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Breanna N Harris
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
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De Simone MS, Lombardi MG, De Tollis M, Perri R, Fadda L, Caltagirone C, Carlesimo GA. Forgetting rate for the familiarity and recollection components of recognition in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: A longitudinal study. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2022:1-13. [PMID: 36264763 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2022.2135441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Here we aimed to investigate the rate of forgetting of the familiarity and recollection components of recognition in patients at the onset of medial temporal lobe (MTL) pathology and destined to convert to Alzheimer's disease (AD). For this purpose, we conducted a longitudinal study of 13 patients who were diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) at the first assessment and followed-up for 3 years. During this time, five patients converted to AD and eight remained in a stable condition of cognitive impairment. A group of 15 healthy subjects were enrolled as the control group (HC). In order to separately quantify the contribution of recollection and familiarity to recognition memory performance, the experimental sample was submitted to a modified version of Huppert and Piercy's procedure that included a Remember/Know paradigm. Data demonstrated that both stable and converter a-MCI patients forgot memory traces relative to the familiarity components of recognition at the same rate as HC. Conversely, converter a-MCI patients showed accelerated long-term forgetting specifically for the recollection component of recognition compared to stable a-MCI and HC. This is the first empirical demonstration that familiarity and recollection components of declarative memory are subject to different rates of forgetting in a-MCI patients as a function of their longitudinal clinical outcome. Our finding of accelerated long-term forgetting of the recollection component of recognition disclosed by converter a-MCI patients suggests that atrophy in the MTL not only interferes with the storage aspects but also disrupts the consolidation of memory traces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Stefania De Simone
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Giovanna Lombardi
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo De Tollis
- Technology and Training Methods for Disability Care Laboratory, Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Roberta Perri
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Fadda
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Caltagirone
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Technology and Training Methods for Disability Care Laboratory, Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Augusto Carlesimo
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
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Almkvist O, Graff C. Practice effects in cognitive assessments three years later in non-carriers but not in symptom-free mutation carriers of autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease: Exemplifying procedural learning and memory? Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:905329. [PMID: 36275006 PMCID: PMC9580215 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.905329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Practice effects (PEs) defined as an improvement of performance in cognition due to repeated assessments between sessions are well known in unimpaired individuals, while less is known about impaired cognition and particularly in latent brain disease as autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease. The purpose was to evaluate the general (across tests/domains) and domain-specific PE calculated as the annual rate of change (ARC) in relation to years to the estimated disease onset (YECO) and in four groups of AD: asymptomatic mutation carriers (aAD, n = 19), prodromal, i.e., symptomatic mutation carriers, criteria for AD diagnosis not fulfilled (pAD, n = 4) and mutation carriers diagnosed with AD (dAD, n = 6) as well as mutation non-carriers from the AD families serving as a healthy comparison group (HC, n = 35). Cognition was assessed at baseline and follow-up about 3 years later by 12 tests covering six domains. The aAD and HC groups were comparable at baseline in demographic characteristics (age, gender, and education), when they were in their early forties, while the pAD and dAD groups were older and cognitively impaired. The results on mean ARC for the four groups were significantly different, small, positive, and age-insensitive in the HC group, while ARC was negative and declined with time/disease advancement in AD. The differences between HC and aAD groups in mean ARC and domain-specific ARC were not significant, indicating a subtle PE in aAD in the early preclinical stage of AD. In the symptomatic stages of AD, there was no PE probably due to cognitive disease-related progression. PEs were the largest in the verbal domain in both the HC and aAD groups, indicating a relationship with cognitive vulnerability. The group-related difference in mean ARC was predominant in timekeeping tests. To conclude, the practice effect in over 3 years was suggested to be linked to procedural learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ove Almkvist
- Divisions of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Theme Inflammation and Aging, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Ove Almkvist
| | - Caroline Graff
- Theme Inflammation and Aging, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Divisions of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Rodini M, De Simone MS, Caltagirone C, Carlesimo GA. Accelerated long-term forgetting in neurodegenerative disorders: A systematic review of the literature. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104815. [PMID: 35961382 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Accelerated Long-term Forgetting (ALF) is a memory deficit characterised by normal retention up to relatively short intervals (e.g., minutes, hours) with increased forgetting over longer periods (e.g., days, weeks). ALF is often underestimated due to a lack of common memory assessments beyond 30-60 min. The purpose of this review was to provide an overview of ALF occurrence in neurodegenerative disorders, evaluating whether it can be considered a cognitive deficit useful for diagnosing and monitoring patients. We included 19 experimental studies that investigated ALF in neurodegenerative disorders. Most papers were focused on Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia and related forms of cognitive decline (Mild Cognitive Impairment, Subjective Cognitive decline, Pre-symptomatic subjects at risk of AD dementia). The major finding of the present work concerns the presence of ALF in very early forms of cognitive decline related to AD. These findings, supporting the hypothesis that ALF is a subtle and undetected hallmark of pre-clinical AD, highlights the importance of investigating forgetting over a longer period and devising standardised measures to be included in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Rodini
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
| | - Maria Stefania De Simone
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Caltagirone
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Augusto Carlesimo
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology of Memory, Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
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Tamburri N, McDowell C, MacDonald SWS. Parameterizing Practice in a Longitudinal Measurement Burst Design to Dissociate Retest Effects From Developmental Change: Implications for Aging Neuroscience. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:885621. [PMID: 35721020 PMCID: PMC9204065 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.885621] [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: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: In longitudinal designs, the extraneous influence of retest effects can confound and obscure estimates of developmental change. The current study provides a novel approach to independently parameterize short-term retest effects and long-term developmental change estimates by leveraging a measurement burst design and three-level multilevel modeling. We further employ these short- and long-term slopes as predictors of cognitive status at long-term follow-up assessments. Methods: Participants included 304 older adults from Project MIND: a longitudinal measurement burst study assessing cognitive performance across both biweekly sessions and annual retests. Participants were classified as either Healthy controls (HC) or Cognitively Impaired, not Demented (CIND) at baseline, the final burst assessment (Year 4), and at an additional four-year follow-up (Year 8). Response time inconsistencies (RTI) were computed at each burst occasion for a simple choice response time (CRT) task and a one-back response time (BRT) task. Three-level multilevel models were employed to simultaneously examine change in RTI for both CRT and BRT across weeks within years, as well as across years, in order to dissociate within-individual retest effects (short-term) from developmental (long-term) change slopes. Individual slopes were then extracted and utilized in a series of multinomial logistic regression equations to contrast short- vs. long-term RTI change as predictors of cognitive status. Results: Separately parameterizing short- and long-term change estimates yielded distinct patterns of variation. CRT RTI remained stable across short-term weekly assessments, while significantly increasing across years. In contrast, BRT RTI decreased significantly across short-term assessments but showed no change across long-term assessments. After dissociating change estimates, short-term BRT as well as long-term CRT and BRT estimates predicted cognitive status at long-term follow-ups; increases in RTI, suggesting either an inability to benefit from retest or process-based developmental decline, were associated with an increased likelihood of being classified as CIND. Conclusions: We showcase an innovative approach to dissociate retest effects from developmental change across and within individuals. Accurately parameterizing these distinct change estimates can both reduce systematic bias in longitudinal trend estimates as well as provide a clinically useful tool by utilizing retest effects to predict cognitive health and impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Tamburri
- Brain Aging and Neurocognitive Health Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Cynthia McDowell
- Brain Aging and Neurocognitive Health Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Stuart W. S. MacDonald
- Brain Aging and Neurocognitive Health Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Stuart W. S. MacDonald
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