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Knudtzon SL, Nordengen K, Grøntvedt GR, Jarholm J, Eliassen IV, Selnes P, Pålhaugen L, Espenes J, Gísladóttir B, Waterloo K, Fladby T, Kirsebom BE. Age-adjusted CSF t-tau and NfL do not improve diagnostic accuracy for prodromal Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2024; 141:74-84. [PMID: 38838442 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.05.016] [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] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Cerebrospinal fluid total-tau (t-tau) and neurofilament light chain (NfL) are biomarkers of neurodegeneration and are increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In order to adjust for age-related increases in t-tau and NfL, cross-sectional age-adjusted norms were developed based on amyloid negative cognitively normal (CN) adults aged 41-78 years (CN, n = 137). The age-adjusted norms for t-tau and NfL did not improve receiver operating curve based diagnostic accuracies in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD (AD-MCI, n = 144). Furthermore, while NfL was correlated with higher age in AD-MCI, no significant correlation was found for t-tau. The cox proportional hazard models, applied in 429 participants with baseline t-tau and NfL, showed higher hazard ratio of progression to MCI or dementia without age-adjustments (HR = 3.39 for t-tau and HR = 3.17 for NfL), as compared to using our norms (HR = 2.29 for t-tau and HR = 1.89 for NfL). Our results indicate that utilizing normative reference data could obscure significant age-related increases in these markers associated with neurodegeneration and AD leading to a potential loss of overall diagnostic accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Lindgård Knudtzon
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Kaja Nordengen
- Department of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Gøril Rolfseng Grøntvedt
- Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Trondheim, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jonas Jarholm
- Department of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ingvild Vøllo Eliassen
- Department of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Per Selnes
- Department of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
| | - Lene Pålhaugen
- Department of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jacob Espenes
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Berglind Gísladóttir
- Department of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway; Clinical Molecular Biology (EpiGen), Medical Division, Akershus University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Knut Waterloo
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Tormod Fladby
- Department of Neurology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bjørn-Eivind Kirsebom
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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Sirkis DW, Bonham LW, Johnson TP, La Joie R, Yokoyama JS. Dissecting the clinical heterogeneity of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:2674-2688. [PMID: 35393555 PMCID: PMC9156414 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01531-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) is a rare but particularly devastating form of AD. Though notable for its high degree of clinical heterogeneity, EOAD is defined by the same neuropathological hallmarks underlying the more common, late-onset form of AD. In this review, we describe the various clinical syndromes associated with EOAD, including the typical amnestic phenotype as well as atypical variants affecting visuospatial, language, executive, behavioral, and motor functions. We go on to highlight advances in fluid biomarker research and describe how molecular, structural, and functional neuroimaging can be used not only to improve EOAD diagnostic acumen but also enhance our understanding of fundamental pathobiological changes occurring years (and even decades) before the onset of symptoms. In addition, we discuss genetic variation underlying EOAD, including pathogenic variants responsible for the well-known mendelian forms of EOAD as well as variants that may increase risk for the much more common forms of EOAD that are either considered to be sporadic or lack a clear autosomal-dominant inheritance pattern. Intriguingly, specific pathogenic variants in PRNP and MAPT-genes which are more commonly associated with other neurodegenerative diseases-may provide unexpectedly important insights into the formation of AD tau pathology. Genetic analysis of the atypical clinical syndromes associated with EOAD will continue to be challenging given their rarity, but integration of fluid biomarker data, multimodal imaging, and various 'omics techniques and their application to the study of large, multicenter cohorts will enable future discoveries of fundamental mechanisms underlying the development of EOAD and its varied clinical presentations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Sirkis
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Luke W Bonham
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Taylor P Johnson
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Renaud La Joie
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Jennifer S Yokoyama
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
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Contador J, Pérez-Millán A, Tort-Merino A, Balasa M, Falgàs N, Olives J, Castellví M, Borrego-Écija S, Bosch B, Fernández-Villullas G, Ramos-Campoy O, Antonell A, Bargalló N, Sanchez-Valle R, Sala-Llonch R, Lladó A. Longitudinal brain atrophy and CSF biomarkers in early-onset Alzheimer's disease. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 32:102804. [PMID: 34474317 PMCID: PMC8405839 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
There is evidence of longitudinal atrophy in posterior brain areas in early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD; aged < 65 years), but no studies have been conducted in an EOAD cohort with fluid biomarkers characterization. We used 3T-MRI and Freesurfer 6.0 to investigate cortical and subcortical gray matter loss at two years in 12 EOAD patients (A + T + N + ) compared to 19 controls (A-T-N-) from the Hospital Clínic Barcelona cohort. We explored group differences in atrophy patterns and we correlated atrophy and baseline CSF-biomarkers levels in EOAD. We replicated the correlation analyses in 14 EOAD (A + T + N + ) and 55 late-onset AD (LOAD; aged ≥ 75 years; A + T + N + ) participants from the Alzheimer's disease Neuroimaging Initiative. We found that EOAD longitudinal atrophy spread with a posterior-to-anterior gradient and beyond hippocampus/amygdala. In EOAD, higher initial CSF NfL levels correlated with higher ventricular volumes at baseline. On the other hand, higher initial CSF Aβ42 levels (within pathological range) predicted higher rates of cortical loss in EOAD. In EOAD and LOAD subjects, higher CSF t-tau values at baseline predicted higher rates of subcortical atrophy. CSF p-tau did not show any significant correlation. In conclusion, posterior cortices, hippocampus and amygdala capture EOAD atrophy from early stages. CSF Aβ42 might predict cortical thinning and t-tau/NfL subcortical atrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Contador
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Agnès Pérez-Millán
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Adrià Tort-Merino
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Mircea Balasa
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain; Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, Global Brain Heath Institute
| | - Neus Falgàs
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain; Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, Global Brain Heath Institute; Department of Neurology, Memory & Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Jaume Olives
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Magdalena Castellví
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Sergi Borrego-Écija
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Beatriz Bosch
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Guadalupe Fernández-Villullas
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Oscar Ramos-Campoy
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Anna Antonell
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Nuria Bargalló
- Image Diagnostic Centre, IDIBAPS, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raquel Sanchez-Valle
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas. CIBERNED, Spain
| | - Roser Sala-Llonch
- Institute of Neurosciences. Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08036, Spain; Biomedical Imaging Group, Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Lladó
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas. CIBERNED, Spain.
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