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Altomare D, Libri I, Alberici A, Rivolta J, Padovani A, Ashton NJ, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Borroni B. Plasma biomarkers increase diagnostic confidence in patients with Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Alzheimers Res Ther 2024; 16:107. [PMID: 38734612 PMCID: PMC11088144 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-024-01474-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: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The recent development of techniques to assess plasma biomarkers has changed the way the research community envisions the future of diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. This work aims to provide real world evidence on the clinical impact of plasma biomarkers in an academic tertiary care center. METHODS Anonymized clinical reports of patients diagnosed with AD or Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration with available plasma biomarkers (Aβ42, Aβ42/Aβ40, p-tau181, p-tau231, NfL, GFAP) were independently assessed by two neurologists who expressed diagnosis and diagnostic confidence three times: (T0) at baseline based on the information collected during the first visit, (T1) after plasma biomarkers, and (T2) after traditional biomarkers (when available). Finally, we assessed whether clinicians' interpretation of plasma biomarkers and the consequent clinical impact are consistent with the final diagnosis, determined after the conclusion of the diagnostic clinical and instrumental work-up by the actual managing physicians who had complete access to all available information. RESULTS Clinicians assessed 122 reports, and their concordance ranged from 81 to 91% at the three time points. At T1, the presentation of plasma biomarkers resulted in a change of diagnosis in 2% (2/122, p = 1.00) of cases, and in increased diagnostic confidence in 76% (91/120, p < 0.001) of cases with confirmed diagnosis. The change in diagnosis and the increase in diagnostic confidence after plasma biomarkers were consistent with the final diagnosis in 100% (2/2) and 81% (74/91) of cases, respectively. At T2, the presentation of traditional biomarkers resulted in a further change of diagnosis in 13% (12/94, p = 0.149) of cases, and in increased diagnostic confidence in 88% (72/82, p < 0.001) of cases with confirmed diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS In an academic tertiary care center, plasma biomarkers supported clinicians by increasing their diagnostic confidence in most cases, despite a negligible impact on diagnosis. Future prospective studies are needed to assess the full potential of plasma biomarkers on clinical grounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Altomare
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Neurology Unit, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Ilenia Libri
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Neurology Unit, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Antonella Alberici
- Department of Continuity of Care and Frailty, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale (ASST) Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
| | - Jasmine Rivolta
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Neurology Unit, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Alessandro Padovani
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Neurology Unit, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- Department of Continuity of Care and Frailty, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale (ASST) Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
| | - Nicholas J Ashton
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, London, UK
- NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Centre for Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, UCL, London, W1T 7NF, UK
- Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Barbara Borroni
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Neurology Unit, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
- Department of Continuity of Care and Frailty, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale (ASST) Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy.
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Altomare D, Barkhof F, Caprioglio C, Collij LE, Scheltens P, Lopes Alves I, Bouwman F, Berkhof J, van Maurik IS, Garibotto V, Moro C, Delrieu J, Payoux P, Saint-Aubert L, Hitzel A, Molinuevo JL, Grau-Rivera O, Gispert JD, Drzezga A, Jessen F, Zeyen P, Nordberg A, Savitcheva I, Jelic V, Walker Z, Edison P, Demonet JF, Gismondi R, Farrar G, Stephens AW, Frisoni GB. Clinical Effect of Early vs Late Amyloid Positron Emission Tomography in Memory Clinic Patients: The AMYPAD-DPMS Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurol 2023:2804755. [PMID: 37155177 PMCID: PMC10167601 DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2023.0997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Importance Amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) allows the direct assessment of amyloid deposition, one of the main hallmarks of Alzheimer disease. However, this technique is currently not widely reimbursed because of the lack of appropriately designed studies demonstrating its clinical effect. Objective To assess the clinical effect of amyloid PET in memory clinic patients. Design, Setting, and Participants The AMYPAD-DPMS is a prospective randomized clinical trial in 8 European memory clinics. Participants were allocated (using a minimization method) to 3 study groups based on the performance of amyloid PET: arm 1, early in the diagnostic workup (within 1 month); arm 2, late in the diagnostic workup (after a mean [SD] 8 [2] months); or arm 3, if and when the managing physician chose. Participants were patients with subjective cognitive decline plus (SCD+; SCD plus clinical features increasing the likelihood of preclinical Alzheimer disease), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or dementia; they were assessed at baseline and after 3 months. Recruitment took place between April 16, 2018, and October 30, 2020. Data analysis was performed from July 2022 to January 2023. Intervention Amyloid PET. Main Outcome and Measure The main outcome was the difference between arm 1 and arm 2 in the proportion of participants receiving an etiological diagnosis with a very high confidence (ie, ≥90% on a 50%-100% visual numeric scale) after 3 months. Results A total of 844 participants were screened, and 840 were enrolled (291 in arm 1, 271 in arm 2, 278 in arm 3). Baseline and 3-month visit data were available for 272 participants in arm 1 and 260 in arm 2 (median [IQR] age: 71 [65-77] and 71 [65-77] years; 150/272 male [55%] and 135/260 male [52%]; 122/272 female [45%] and 125/260 female [48%]; median [IQR] education: 12 [10-15] and 13 [10-16] years, respectively). After 3 months, 109 of 272 participants (40%) in arm 1 had a diagnosis with very high confidence vs 30 of 260 (11%) in arm 2 (P < .001). This was consistent across cognitive stages (SCD+: 25/84 [30%] vs 5/78 [6%]; P < .001; MCI: 45/108 [42%] vs 9/102 [9%]; P < .001; dementia: 39/80 [49%] vs 16/80 [20%]; P < .001). Conclusion and Relevance In this study, early amyloid PET allowed memory clinic patients to receive an etiological diagnosis with very high confidence after only 3 months compared with patients who had not undergone amyloid PET. These findings support the implementation of amyloid PET early in the diagnostic workup of memory clinic patients. Trial Registration EudraCT Number: 2017-002527-21.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Altomare
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging (LANVIE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Geneva Memory Center, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Frederik Barkhof
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC)-Location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Institute of Neurology, Institute of Healthcare Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Camilla Caprioglio
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging (LANVIE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Geneva Memory Center, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lyduine E Collij
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC)-Location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Philip Scheltens
- Alzheimer Center, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers-Location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Isadora Lopes Alves
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC)-Location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Femke Bouwman
- Alzheimer Center, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers-Location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Johannes Berkhof
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam University Medical Centers-Location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ingrid S van Maurik
- Alzheimer Center, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers-Location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam University Medical Centers-Location VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Valentina Garibotto
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Innovative Molecular Tracers (NIMTlab), Geneva University Neurocenter and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christian Moro
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging (LANVIE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Geneva Memory Center, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Julien Delrieu
- Gérontopôle, Department of Geriatrics, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
- Maintain Aging Research Team, CERPOP, Inserm, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Pierre Payoux
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
- Toulouse NeuroImaging Center (ToNIC), UMR1214 Inserm, Université de Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
| | - Laure Saint-Aubert
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
- Toulouse NeuroImaging Center (ToNIC), UMR1214 Inserm, Université de Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
| | - Anne Hitzel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France
| | - José Luis Molinuevo
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- H. Lundbeck, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Oriol Grau-Rivera
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Domingo Gispert
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alexander Drzezga
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2), Molecular Organization of the Brain, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
| | - Frank Jessen
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn-Cologne, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Excellence Cluster Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Related Diseases (CECAD), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Philip Zeyen
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Agneta Nordberg
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center of Alzheimer Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Theme Aging, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Irina Savitcheva
- Medical Radiation Physics and Nuclear Medicine, Section for Nuclear Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Vesna Jelic
- Cognitive Disorders Clinic, Theme Inflammation and Aging, Karolinska University Hospital-Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Zuzana Walker
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- St Margaret's Hospital, Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Essex, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Edison
- Division of Neurology, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | - Giovanni B Frisoni
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging (LANVIE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Geneva Memory Center, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
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Pemberton HG, Collij LE, Heeman F, Bollack A, Shekari M, Salvadó G, Alves IL, Garcia DV, Battle M, Buckley C, Stephens AW, Bullich S, Garibotto V, Barkhof F, Gispert JD, Farrar G. Quantification of amyloid PET for future clinical use: a state-of-the-art review. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2022; 49:3508-3528. [PMID: 35389071 PMCID: PMC9308604 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-022-05784-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology is one of the earliest detectable brain changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. The overall load and spatial distribution of brain Aβ can be determined in vivo using positron emission tomography (PET), for which three fluorine-18 labelled radiotracers have been approved for clinical use. In clinical practice, trained readers will categorise scans as either Aβ positive or negative, based on visual inspection. Diagnostic decisions are often based on these reads and patient selection for clinical trials is increasingly guided by amyloid status. However, tracer deposition in the grey matter as a function of amyloid load is an inherently continuous process, which is not sufficiently appreciated through binary cut-offs alone. State-of-the-art methods for amyloid PET quantification can generate tracer-independent measures of Aβ burden. Recent research has shown the ability of these quantitative measures to highlight pathological changes at the earliest stages of the AD continuum and generate more sensitive thresholds, as well as improving diagnostic confidence around established binary cut-offs. With the recent FDA approval of aducanumab and more candidate drugs on the horizon, early identification of amyloid burden using quantitative measures is critical for enrolling appropriate subjects to help establish the optimal window for therapeutic intervention and secondary prevention. In addition, quantitative amyloid measurements are used for treatment response monitoring in clinical trials. In clinical settings, large multi-centre studies have shown that amyloid PET results change both diagnosis and patient management and that quantification can accurately predict rates of cognitive decline. Whether these changes in management reflect an improvement in clinical outcomes is yet to be determined and further validation work is required to establish the utility of quantification for supporting treatment endpoint decisions. In this state-of-the-art review, several tools and measures available for amyloid PET quantification are summarised and discussed. Use of these methods is growing both clinically and in the research domain. Concurrently, there is a duty of care to the wider dementia community to increase visibility and understanding of these methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh G Pemberton
- GE Healthcare, Amersham, UK.
- Centre for Medical Image Computing (CMIC), Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, London, UK.
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Lyduine E Collij
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neurocience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Fiona Heeman
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neurocience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ariane Bollack
- Centre for Medical Image Computing (CMIC), Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Mahnaz Shekari
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gemma Salvadó
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Isadora Lopes Alves
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neurocience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Brain Research Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - David Vallez Garcia
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neurocience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mark Battle
- GE Healthcare, Amersham, UK
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - Valentina Garibotto
- Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- NIMTLab, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Frederik Barkhof
- Centre for Medical Image Computing (CMIC), Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, London, UK
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neurocience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Juan Domingo Gispert
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Madrid, Spain
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Diagnostic Efficacy of Voxel-Mirrored Homotopic Connectivity in Vascular Dementia as Compared to Alzheimer's Related Neurodegenerative Diseases-A Resting State fMRI Study. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11101108. [PMID: 34685479 PMCID: PMC8538280 DOI: 10.3390/life11101108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that functional connectivity (FC) of different brain regions in resting state function MRI were abnormal in patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) when comparing to healthy controls (HC) using seed based, independent component analysis (ICA) or small world network techniques. A new technique called voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) was used in the current study to evaluate the value of interhemispheric functional connectivity (IFC) as a diagnostic tool to differentiate vascular dementia (VD) from other Alzheimer’s related neurodegenerative diseases. Eighty-three participants were recruited from the university hospital memory clinic. A multidisciplinary panel formed by a neuroradiologist and two geriatricians classified the participants into VD (13), AD (16), MCI (29), and HC (25) based on clinical history, Montreal Cognitive Assessment Hong Kong version (HK-MoCA) neuropsychological score, structural MRI, MR perfusion, and 18-F Flutametamol (amyloid) PET-CT findings of individual subjects. We adopted the calculation method used by Kelly et al. (2011) and Zuo et al. (2010) in obtaining VMHC maps. Specific patterns of VMHC maps were obtained for VD, AD, and MCI to HC comparison. VD showed significant reduction in VMHC in frontal orbital gyrus and gyrus rectus. Increased VMHC was observed in default mode network (DMN), executive control network (ECN), and the remaining salient network (SN) regions. AD showed a reduction of IFC in all DMN, ECN, and SN regions; whereas MCI showed VMHC reduction in vSN, and increased VMHC in DMN and ECN. When combining VMHC values of relevant brain regions, the accuracy was improved to 87%, 92%, and 83% for VD, AD, and MCI from HC, respectively, in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Through studying the VMHC maps and using VMHC values in relevant brain regions, VMHC can be considered as a reliable diagnostic tool for VD, AD, and MCI from HC.
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