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Korte JA, Weakley A, Donjuan Fernandez K, Joiner WM, Fan AP. Neural Underpinnings of Learning in Dementia Populations: A Review of Motor Learning Studies Combined with Neuroimaging. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:734-755. [PMID: 38285732 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02116] [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] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
The intent of this review article is to serve as an overview of current research regarding the neural characteristics of motor learning in Alzheimer disease (AD) as well as prodromal phases of AD: at-risk populations, and mild cognitive impairment. This review seeks to provide a cognitive framework to compare various motor tasks. We will highlight the neural characteristics related to cognitive domains that, through imaging, display functional or structural changes because of AD progression. In turn, this motivates the use of motor learning paradigms as possible screening techniques for AD and will build upon our current understanding of learning abilities in AD populations.
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Sánchez-Escudero JP, Galvis-Herrera AM, Sánchez-Trujillo D, Torres-López LC, Kennedy CJ, Aguirre-Acevedo DC, Garcia-Barrera MA, Trujillo N. Virtual Reality and Serious Videogame-Based Instruments for Assessing Spatial Navigation in Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review of Psychometric Properties. Neuropsychol Rev 2024:10.1007/s11065-024-09633-7. [PMID: 38403731 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-024-09633-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Over the past decade, research using virtual reality and serious game-based instruments for assessing spatial navigation and spatial memory in at-risk and AD populations has risen. We systematically reviewed the literature since 2012 to identify and evaluate the methodological quality and risk of bias in the analyses of the psychometric properties of VRSG-based instruments. The search was conducted primarily in July-December 2022 and updated in November 2023 in eight major databases. The quality of instrument development and study design were analyzed in all studies. Measurement properties were defined and analyzed according to COSMIN guidelines. A total of 1078 unique records were screened, and following selection criteria, thirty-seven studies were analyzed. From these studies, 30 instruments were identified. Construct and criterion validity were the most reported measurement properties, while structural validity and internal consistency evidence were the least reported. Nineteen studies were deemed very good in construct validity, whereas 11 studies reporting diagnostic accuracy were deemed very good in quality. Limitations regarding theoretical framework and research design requirements were found in most of the studies. VRSG-based instruments are valuable additions to the current diagnostic toolkit for AD. Further research is required to establish the psychometric performance and clinical utility of VRSG-based instruments, particularly the instrument development, content validity, and diagnostic accuracy for preclinical AD screening scenarios. This review provides a straightforward synthesis of the state of the art of VRSG-based instruments and suggests future directions for research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Cole J Kennedy
- Department of Psychology & Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | | | - Mauricio A Garcia-Barrera
- Department of Psychology & Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Natalia Trujillo
- National College of Public Health, University of Antioquia, Antioquia, Colombia
- Atlantic Fellowship in Equity in Brain Health, Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
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Stramba-Badiale C, Tuena C, Goulene KM, Cipresso P, Morelli S, Rossi M, D’Avenio G, Stramba-Badiale M, Riva G. Enhancing spatial navigation skills in mild cognitive impairment patients: a usability study of a new version of ANTaging software. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 17:1310375. [PMID: 38259329 PMCID: PMC10801043 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1310375] [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: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) often presents challenges related to spatial navigation and retention of spatial information. Navigating space involves intricate integration of bodily and environmental cues. Spatial memory is dependent on two distinct frame of reference systems for organizing this information: egocentric and allocentric frames of reference. Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a promising technology for enhancing spatial navigation skills and spatial memory by facilitating the manipulation of bodily, environmental, and cognitive cues. Methods This usability study was based on a fully within-subjects design in which seven MCI patients underwent two kinds of VR conditions: participants were required to complete the ANTaging demo both in Oculus Rift S (immersive condition) and in Samsung UHD 4K monitor (semi-immersive condition). Participants were seated and they had to use a foot-motion pad to navigate and explore the environment to collect and relocate some objects in the virtual environment. Post-interaction, users provided feedback on their experiences. Additionally, usability, potential side effects, data analysis feasibility, and user preferences with immersive and semi-immersive technologies were assessed through questionnaires. Results Results indicated higher usability ratings for the semi-immersive setup, with fewer negative effects reported compared to the immersive counterpart. According to qualitative analyses of the interviews, patients do seem to like both VR apparatuses even though the semi-immersive condition was perceived as the most suitable choice because of the size of the screen. Patients generally found it difficult to remember object locations. Participants expressed the need for more practice with the foot-motion pad, despite an overall positive experience. They generally would like to use this system to improve their memory. Discussion Identifying these key aspects was crucial for refining the system before the upcoming clinical trial. This study sheds light on the potential of semi-immersive VR in aiding individuals with MCI, paving the way for enhanced spatial navigation interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Stramba-Badiale
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Cosimo Tuena
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Karine Marie Goulene
- Department of Geriatrics and Cardiovascular Medicine, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Pietro Cipresso
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Cusano Milanino, Italy
| | - Sandra Morelli
- National Center for Innovative Technologies in Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Mirko Rossi
- National Center for Innovative Technologies in Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe D’Avenio
- National Center for Innovative Technologies in Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Stramba-Badiale
- Department of Geriatrics and Cardiovascular Medicine, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Riva
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- Humane Technology Lab, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
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Pillette L, Moreau G, Normand JM, Perrier M, Lecuyer A, Cogne M. A Systematic Review of Navigation Assistance Systems for People With Dementia. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VISUALIZATION AND COMPUTER GRAPHICS 2023; 29:2146-2165. [PMID: 35007194 DOI: 10.1109/tvcg.2022.3141383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Technological developments provide solutions to alleviate the tremendous impact on the health and autonomy due to the impact of dementia on navigation abilities. We systematically reviewed the literature on devices tested to provide assistance to people with dementia during indoor, outdoor and virtual navigation (PROSPERO ID number: 215585). Medline and Scopus databases were searched from inception. Our aim was to summarize the results from the literature to guide future developments. Twenty-three articles were included in our study. Three types of information were extracted from these studies. First, the types of navigation advice the devices provided were assessed through: (i) the sensorial modality of presentation, e.g., visual and tactile stimuli, (ii) the navigation content, e.g., landmarks, and (iii) the timing of presentation, e.g., systematically at intersections. Second, we analyzed the technology that the devices were based on, e.g., smartphone. Third, the experimental methodology used to assess the devices and the navigation outcome was evaluated. We report and discuss the results from the literature based on these three main characteristics. Finally, based on these considerations, recommendations are drawn, challenges are identified and potential solutions are suggested. Augmented reality-based devices, intelligent tutoring systems and social support should particularly further be explored.
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Sanz Perl Y, Fittipaldi S, Gonzalez Campo C, Moguilner S, Cruzat J, Fraile-Vazquez ME, Herzog R, Kringelbach ML, Deco G, Prado P, Ibanez A, Tagliazucchi E. Model-based whole-brain perturbational landscape of neurodegenerative diseases. eLife 2023; 12:e83970. [PMID: 36995213 PMCID: PMC10063230 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The treatment of neurodegenerative diseases is hindered by lack of interventions capable of steering multimodal whole-brain dynamics towards patterns indicative of preserved brain health. To address this problem, we combined deep learning with a model capable of reproducing whole-brain functional connectivity in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). These models included disease-specific atrophy maps as priors to modulate local parameters, revealing increased stability of hippocampal and insular dynamics as signatures of brain atrophy in AD and bvFTD, respectively. Using variational autoencoders, we visualized different pathologies and their severity as the evolution of trajectories in a low-dimensional latent space. Finally, we perturbed the model to reveal key AD- and bvFTD-specific regions to induce transitions from pathological to healthy brain states. Overall, we obtained novel insights on disease progression and control by means of external stimulation, while identifying dynamical mechanisms that underlie functional alterations in neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonatan Sanz Perl
- Department of Physics, University of Buenos AiresBuenos AiresArgentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), CABABuenos AiresArgentina
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San AndrésBuenos AiresArgentina
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Universitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
| | - Sol Fittipaldi
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), CABABuenos AiresArgentina
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San AndrésBuenos AiresArgentina
| | - Cecilia Gonzalez Campo
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), CABABuenos AiresArgentina
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San AndrésBuenos AiresArgentina
| | - Sebastián Moguilner
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo IbáñezSantiagoChile
| | - Josephine Cruzat
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Universitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo IbáñezSantiagoChile
| | | | - Rubén Herzog
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo IbáñezSantiagoChile
| | - Morten L Kringelbach
- Department of Psychiatry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus UniversityÅrhusDenmark
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoBragaPortugal
- Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Universitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
- Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
- Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avancats (ICREA)BarcelonaSpain
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash UniversityClaytonAustralia
| | - Pavel Prado
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo IbáñezSantiagoChile
- Escuela de Fonoaudiología, Facultad de Odontología y Ciencias de la Rehabilitación, Universidad San SebastiánSantiagoChile
| | - Agustin Ibanez
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), CABABuenos AiresArgentina
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San AndrésBuenos AiresArgentina
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo IbáñezSantiagoChile
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), Trinity College DublinDublinIreland
| | - Enzo Tagliazucchi
- Department of Physics, University of Buenos AiresBuenos AiresArgentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), CABABuenos AiresArgentina
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San AndrésBuenos AiresArgentina
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo IbáñezSantiagoChile
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Abstract
Aims of the present article are: 1) assessing vestibular contribution to spatial navigation, 2) exploring how age, global positioning systems (GPS) use, and vestibular navigation contribute to subjective sense of direction (SOD), 3) evaluating vestibular navigation in patients with lesions of the vestibular-cerebellum (patients with downbeat nystagmus, DBN) that could inform on the signals carried by vestibulo-cerebellar-cortical pathways. We applied two navigation tasks on a rotating chair in the dark: return-to-start (RTS), where subjects drive the chair back to the origin after discrete angular displacement stimuli (path reversal), and complete-the-circle (CTC) where subjects drive the chair on, all the way round to origin (path completion). We examined 24 normal controls (20-83 yr), five patients with DBN (62-77 yr) and, as proof of principle, two patients with early dementia (84 and 76 yr). We found a relationship between SOD, assessed by Santa Barbara Sense of Direction Scale, and subject's age (positive), GPS use (negative), and CTC-vestibular-navigation-task (positive). Age-related decline in vestibular navigation was observed with the RTS task but not with the complex CTC task. Vestibular navigation was normal in patients with vestibulo-cerebellar dysfunction but abnormal, particularly CTC, in the demented patients. We conclude that vestibular navigation skills contribute to the build-up of our SOD. Unexpectedly, perceived SOD in the elderly is not inferior, possibly explained by increased GPS use by the young. Preserved vestibular navigation in cerebellar patients suggests that ascending vestibular-cerebellar projections carry velocity (not position) signals. The abnormalities in the cognitively impaired patients suggest that their vestibulo-spatial navigation is disrupted.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our subjective sense-of-direction is influenced by how good we are at spatial navigation using vestibular cues. Global positioning systems (GPS) may inhibit sense of direction. Increased use of GPS by the young may explain why the elderly's sense of direction is not worse than the young's. Patients with vestibulo-cerebellar dysfunction (downbeat nystagmus syndrome) display normal vestibular navigation, suggesting that ascending vestibulo-cerebellar-cortical pathways carry velocity rather than position signals. Pilot data indicate that dementia disrupts vestibular navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athena Zachou
- Neuro-otology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Charing Cross Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
- 1st Department of Neurology, Eginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - Adolfo M Bronstein
- Neuro-otology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Charing Cross Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
- 1st Department of Neurology, Eginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
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Plaza-Rosales I, Brunetti E, Montefusco-Siegmund R, Madariaga S, Hafelin R, Ponce DP, Behrens MI, Maldonado PE, Paula-Lima A. Visual-spatial processing impairment in the occipital-frontal connectivity network at early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1097577. [PMID: 36845655 PMCID: PMC9947357 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1097577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide, but its pathophysiological phenomena are not fully elucidated. Many neurophysiological markers have been suggested to identify early cognitive impairments of AD. However, the diagnosis of this disease remains a challenge for specialists. In the present cross-sectional study, our objective was to evaluate the manifestations and mechanisms underlying visual-spatial deficits at the early stages of AD. Methods We combined behavioral, electroencephalography (EEG), and eye movement recordings during the performance of a spatial navigation task (a virtual version of the Morris Water Maze adapted to humans). Participants (69-88 years old) with amnesic mild cognitive impairment-Clinical Dementia Rating scale (aMCI-CDR 0.5) were selected as probable early AD (eAD) by a neurologist specialized in dementia. All patients included in this study were evaluated at the CDR 0.5 stage but progressed to probable AD during clinical follow-up. An equal number of matching healthy controls (HCs) were evaluated while performing the navigation task. Data were collected at the Department of Neurology of the Clinical Hospital of the Universidad de Chile and the Department of Neuroscience of the Faculty of Universidad de Chile. Results Participants with aMCI preceding AD (eAD) showed impaired spatial learning and their visual exploration differed from the control group. eAD group did not clearly prefer regions of interest that could guide solving the task, while controls did. The eAD group showed decreased visual occipital evoked potentials associated with eye fixations, recorded at occipital electrodes. They also showed an alteration of the spatial spread of activity to parietal and frontal regions at the end of the task. The control group presented marked occipital activity in the beta band (15-20 Hz) at early visual processing time. The eAD group showed a reduction in beta band functional connectivity in the prefrontal cortices reflecting poor planning of navigation strategies. Discussion We found that EEG signals combined with visual-spatial navigation analysis, yielded early and specific features that may underlie the basis for understanding the loss of functional connectivity in AD. Still, our results are clinically promising for early diagnosis required to improve quality of life and decrease healthcare costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iván Plaza-Rosales
- Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Enzo Brunetti
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Institute of Neurosurgery and Brain Research Dr. Alfonso Asenjo, Santiago, Chile,Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Montefusco-Siegmund
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Locomotor System and Rehabilitation, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Samuel Madariaga
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Hafelin
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Daniela P. Ponce
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Faculty of Medicine, Center for Advanced Clinical Research, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - María Isabel Behrens
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Faculty of Medicine, Center for Advanced Clinical Research, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Clínica Alemana-Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pedro E. Maldonado
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Pedro E. Maldonado,
| | - Andrea Paula-Lima
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,Institute for Research in Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,*Correspondence: Andrea Paula-Lima,
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Silva A, Martínez MC. Spatial memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease and their connection to cognitive maps' formation by place cells and grid cells. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 16:1082158. [PMID: 36710956 PMCID: PMC9878455 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1082158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Whenever we navigate through different contexts, we build a cognitive map: an internal representation of the territory. Spatial navigation is a complex skill that involves multiple types of information processing and integration. Place cells and grid cells, collectively with other hippocampal and medial entorhinal cortex neurons (MEC), form a neural network whose activity is critical for the representation of self-position and orientation along with spatial memory retrieval. Furthermore, this activity generates new representations adapting to changes in the environment. Though there is a normal decline in spatial memory related to aging, this is dramatically increased in pathological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is a multi-factorial neurodegenerative disorder affecting mainly the hippocampus-entorhinal cortex (HP-EC) circuit. Consequently, the initial stages of the disease have disorientation and wandering behavior as two of its hallmarks. Recent electrophysiological studies have linked spatial memory deficits to difficulties in spatial information encoding. Here we will discuss map impairment and remapping disruption in the HP-EC network, as a possible circuit mechanism involved in the spatial memory and navigation deficits observed in AD, pointing out the benefits of virtual reality as a tool for early diagnosis and rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azul Silva
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica “Dr. Bernardo Houssay”- CONICET (IFIBIO), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Cecilia Martínez
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica “Dr. Bernardo Houssay”- CONICET (IFIBIO), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina,Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Celular “Dr. Héctor Maldonado”, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina,*Correspondence: María Cecilia Martínez,
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Silva JMD, Santos MDD, Costa RQMD, Moretto EG, Viveiro LAPD, Lopes RDD, Brucki SMD, Pompeu JE. Applicability of an immersive virtual reality system to assess egocentric orientation of older adults. ARQUIVOS DE NEURO-PSIQUIATRIA 2023; 81:19-26. [PMID: 36918003 PMCID: PMC10014199 DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1759762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spatial orientation is a cognitive domain frequently compromised in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and may be one of its first clinical manifestations. Some studies have shown that allocentric integration with egocentric spatial information seems to be impaired in this pathology. There is no consensus on how best to assess spatial orientation and traditional tests lack ecological validity, but, recently, virtual reality (VR) has provided new opportunities for this assessment. OBJECTIVES To analyze the applicability and stability of an immersive virtual task developed to assess spatial orientation, the Spatial Orientation in Immersive Virtual Environment Maze Test (SOIVET-Maze) in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment. METHODS Forty-three older adults were included in the study, 24 without cognitive impairment and 19 with mild cognitive impairment. Applicability was assessed by the Witmer and Singer Sense of Presence Questionnaire and a questionnaire for adverse events of cybersickness. To assess stability, participants were assessed twice with an interval of 7 to 14 days, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated between visits. The t test or the Mann-Whitney test was used to compare applicability and stability between groups. RESULTS There was no significant difference between the groups regarding applicability. A strong correlation between the first and second day of testing was found in the mild cognitive impairment group. CONCLUSION The SOIVET-Maze task showed excellent applicability and good stability, favoring its clinical application for the evaluation of spatial orientation in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Magalhães da Silva
- Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Medicina, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia Ocupacional, São Paulo SP, Brazil
| | - Michelle Didone Dos Santos
- Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Medicina, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia Ocupacional, São Paulo SP, Brazil
| | | | - Emerson Galves Moretto
- Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Engenharia de Sistemas Eletrônicos, Escola Politécnica, São Paulo SP, Brazil
| | - Larissa Alamino Pereira de Viveiro
- Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Medicina, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia Ocupacional, São Paulo SP, Brazil
| | - Roseli de Deus Lopes
- Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Engenharia de Sistemas Eletrônicos, Escola Politécnica, São Paulo SP, Brazil
| | - Sonia Maria Dozzi Brucki
- Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Neurologia, Faculdade de Medicina, São Paulo SP, Brazil
| | - José Eduardo Pompeu
- Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Medicina, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia Ocupacional, São Paulo SP, Brazil
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Chepisheva MK. Spatial orientation, postural control and the vestibular system in healthy elderly and Alzheimer's dementia. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15040. [PMID: 37151287 PMCID: PMC10162042 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background While extensive research has been advancing our understanding of the spatial and postural decline in healthy elderly (HE) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), much less is known about how the vestibular system contributes to the spatial and postural processing in these two populations. This is especially relevant during turning movements in the dark, such as while walking in our garden or at home at night, where the vestibular signal becomes central. As the prevention of falls and disorientation are of serious concern for the medical service, more vestibular-driven knowledge is necessary to decrease the burden for HE and AD patients with vestibular disabilities. Overview of the article The review briefly presents the current "non-vestibular based" knowledge (i.e. knowledge based on research that does not mention the "vestibular system" as a contributor or does not investigate its effects) about spatial navigation and postural control during normal healthy ageing and AD pathology. Then, it concentrates on the critical sense of the vestibular system and explores the current expertise about the aspects of spatial orientation and postural control from a vestibular system point of view. The norm is set by first looking at how healthy elderly change with age with respect to their vestibular-guided navigation and balance, followed by the AD patients and the difficulties they experience in maintaining their balance or during navigation. Conclusion Vestibular spatial and vestibular postural deficits present a considerable disadvantage and are felt not only on a physical but also on a psychological level by all those affected. Still, there is a clear need for more (central) vestibular-driven spatial and postural knowledge in healthy and pathological ageing, which can better facilitate our understanding of the aetiology of these dysfunctions. A possible change can start with the more frequent implementation of the "vestibular system examination/rehabilitation/therapy" in the clinic, which can then lead to an improvement of future prognostication and disease outcome for the patients.
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Alessia B, Massimiliano P, Laura P. Walking on a minefield: planning, remembering, and avoiding obstacles: preliminary findings. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:1921-1931. [PMID: 35695920 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-022-06391-x] [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: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Travel planning (TP) is a kind of planning devoted to spatial orientation that is distinguishable from general planning (GP). It is crucial to reach a destination, since it allows to select the best route according to the environmental features (e.g., the one with little traffic or the safest). TP is also needed to avoid obstacles along the way and to put in place effective strategies to support navigation. TP involves several cognitive processes, such as visuo-spatial and topographic memory as well as other executive functions (i.e., general planning, cognitive flexibility, problem solving, and divergent thinking) and it is affected by internal factors (such as gender, cognitive strategies, age). Here, we focused on the effects of visuo-spatial (VSWM) and topographic (TWM) working memory on TP, using the Minefield Task (MFT), a new tool aimed at testing TP. We tested VSWM, TWM, GP, and TP in 44 college students. First, we checked for gender differences in all the tasks proposed and then assessed the relation among VSWM, TWM, GP, and TP. Results showed that even though gender difference could be found on TWM, GP, and TP, significative correlations emerged among TP, VSWM, and GP as well as a tendency to significance for VSWM and GP in the regression analyses. Though more evidence is needed, these results suggest that when a brand-new route is computed, GP and VSWM can be the most relevant processes, whereas topographic memory was less involved, probably because the MFT does not require to recall a route from memory. The implications of these results in clinical settings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bocchi Alessia
- Department of Human Neuroscience, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale dell'Università 30, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Palmiero Massimiliano
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Piccardi Laura
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179, Rome, RM, Italy
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12
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Kulminski AM, Loiko E, Loika Y, Culminskaya I. Pleiotropic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease and educational attainment: insights from the summary statistics analysis. GeroScience 2022; 44:265-280. [PMID: 34743297 PMCID: PMC8572080 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-021-00484-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological studies report beneficial associations of higher educational attainment (EDU) with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Prior genome-wide association studies (GWAS) also reported variants associated with AD and EDU separately. The analysis of pleiotropic associations with these phenotypes may shed light on EDU-related protection against AD. We performed pleiotropic meta-analyses using Fisher's method and omnibus test applied to summary statistics for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with AD and EDU in large-scale univariate GWAS at suggestive-effect (5 × 10-8 < p < 0.1) and genome-wide (p ≤ 5 × 10-8) significance levels. We report 53 SNPs that attained p ≤ 5 × 10-8 at least in one of the pleiotropic meta-analyses and were reported in the univariate GWAS at 5 × 10-8 < p < 0.1. Of them, there were 46 pleiotropic SNPs according to Fisher's method. Additionally, Fisher's method identified 25 of 206 SNPs with pleiotropic effects, which attained p ≤ 5 × 10-8 in the univariate GWAS. We showed that a large fraction of the pleiotropic associations was affected by a counterintuitive phenomenon of antagonistic genetic heterogeneity, which explains the increase, rather than decrease, of the significance of the pleiotropic associations in the omnibus test. Functional enrichment analysis showed that apart from cancers, gene set harboring the non-pleiotropic SNPs was characterized by late-onset AD and neurodevelopmental disorders. The pleiotropic gene set was characterized by a broad spectrum of progressive neurological and neuromuscular diseases and immune-mediated conditions, including progressive motor neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and severe AD. Our results suggest that disentangling genes harboring variants with and without pleiotropic associations with AD and EDU is promising for dissecting heterogeneity in biological mechanisms of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Kulminski
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708-0408, USA.
| | - Elena Loiko
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708-0408, USA
| | - Yury Loika
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708-0408, USA
| | - Irina Culminskaya
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708-0408, USA
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13
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Sakhare A, Stradford J, Ravichandran R, Deng R, Ruiz J, Subramanian K, Suh J, Pa J. Simultaneous Exercise and Cognitive Training in Virtual Reality Phase 2 Pilot Study: Impact on Brain Health and Cognition in Older Adults. Brain Plast 2021; 7:111-130. [PMID: 34868877 PMCID: PMC8609488 DOI: 10.3233/bpl-210126] [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] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Aerobic exercise and environmental enrichment have been shown to enhance brain function. Virtual reality (VR) is a promising method for combining these activities in a meaningful and ecologically valid way. Objective: The purpose of this Phase 2 pilot study was to calculate relative change and effect sizes to assess the impact of simultaneous exercise and cognitive training in VR on brain health and cognition in older adults. Methods: Twelve cognitively normal older adults (64.7±8.8 years old, 8 female) participated in a 12-week intervention, 3 sessions/week for 25–50 minutes/session at 50–80% HRmax. Participants cycled on a custom-built stationary exercise bike while wearing a VR head-mounted display and navigating novel virtual environments to train spatial memory. Brain and cognitive changes were assessed using MRI imaging and a cognitive battery. Results: Medium effect size (ES) improvements in cerebral flow and brain structure were observed. Pulsatility, a measure of peripheral vascular resistance, decreased 10.5% (ES(d) = 0.47). Total grey matter volume increased 0.73% (ES(r) = 0.38), while thickness of the superior parietal lobule, a region associated with spatial orientation, increased 0.44% (ES(r) = 0.30). Visual memory discrimination related to pattern separation showed a large improvement of 68% (ES(ηp2) = 0.43). Cognitive flexibility (Trail Making Test B) (ES(r) = 0.42) and response inhibition (ES(W) = 0.54) showed medium improvements of 14% and 34%, respectively. Conclusions: Twelve weeks of simultaneous exercise and cognitive training in VR elicits positive changes in brain volume, vascular resistance, memory, and executive function with moderate-to-large effect sizes in our pilot study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwin Sakhare
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Joy Stradford
- Department of Neurology, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Roshan Ravichandran
- Department of Neurology, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rong Deng
- Department of Neurology, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Julissa Ruiz
- Department of Neurology, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Keshav Subramanian
- Department of Neurology, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jaymee Suh
- Department of Neurology, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Judy Pa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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14
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From aMCI to AD: The Role of Visuo-Spatial Memory Span and Executive Functions in Egocentric and Allocentric Spatial Impairments. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11111536. [PMID: 34827534 PMCID: PMC8615504 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11111536] [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: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A difficulty in encoding spatial information in an egocentric (i.e., body-to-object) and especially allocentric (i.e., object-to-object) manner, and impairments in executive function (EF) are typical in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Since executive functions are involved in spatial encodings, it is important to understand the extent of their reciprocal or selective impairment. To this end, AD patients, aMCI and healthy elderly people had to provide egocentric (What object was closest to you?) and allocentric (What object was closest to object X?) judgments about memorized objects. Participants’ frontal functions, attentional resources and visual-spatial memory were assessed with the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), the Trail Making Test (TMT) and the Corsi Block Tapping Test (forward/backward). Results showed that ADs performed worse than all others in all tasks but did not differ from aMCIs in allocentric judgments and Corsi forward. Regression analyses showed, although to different degrees in the three groups, a link between attentional resources, visuo-spatial memory and egocentric performance, and between frontal resources and allocentric performance. Therefore, visuo-spatial memory, especially when it involves allocentric frames and requires demanding active processing, should be carefully assessed to reveal early signs of conversion from aMCI to AD.
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15
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Poos JM, van der Ham IJM, Leeuwis AE, Pijnenburg YAL, van der Flier WM, Postma A. Short Digital Spatial Memory Test Detects Impairment in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1350. [PMID: 34679414 PMCID: PMC8533689 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11101350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impairment in navigation abilities and object location memory are often seen in early-stage Alzheimer's Disease (AD), yet these constructs are not included in standard neuropsychological assessment. We investigated the differential ability of a short digital spatial memory test in mild AD dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS 21 patients with AD dementia (66.9 ± 6.9; 47% female), 22 patients with MCI (69.6 ± 8.3; 46% female) and 21 patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) (62.2 ± 8.9; 48% female) from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort performed the Object Location Memory Test (OLMT), consisting of a visual perception and memory trial, and the Virtual Tübingen (VT) test, consisting of a scene recognition, route continuation, route ordering and distance comparison task. The correlations with other cognitive domains were examined. RESULTS Patients with mild AD dementia (Z: -2.51 ± 1.15) and MCI (Z: -1.81 ± 0.92) performed worse than participants with SCD (Z: 0.0 ± 1.0) on the OLMT. Scene recognition and route continuation were equally impaired in patients with AD dementia (Z: -1.14 ± 0.73; Z: -1.44 ± 1.13) and MCI (Z: -1.37 ± 1.25; Z: -1.21 ± 1.07). Route ordering was only impaired in patients with MCI (Z: -0.82 ± 0.78). Weak to moderate correlations were found between route continuation and memory (r(64) = 0.40, p < 0.01), and between route ordering and attention (r(64) = 0.33, p < 0.01), but not for the OLMT. CONCLUSION A short digital spatial memory test battery was able to detect object location memory and navigation impairment in patients with mild AD dementia and MCI, highlighting the value of incorporating such a test battery in standard neuropsychological assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackie M. Poos
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (A.E.L.); (Y.A.L.P.); (W.M.v.d.F.)
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Helmholtz Institute, Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Ineke J. M. van der Ham
- Institute of Psychology, Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands;
| | - Anna E. Leeuwis
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (A.E.L.); (Y.A.L.P.); (W.M.v.d.F.)
| | - Yolande A. L. Pijnenburg
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (A.E.L.); (Y.A.L.P.); (W.M.v.d.F.)
| | - Wiesje M. van der Flier
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (A.E.L.); (Y.A.L.P.); (W.M.v.d.F.)
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Albert Postma
- Helmholtz Institute, Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands;
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16
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Barclay SF, Potocki K, Burles F, Bech-Hansen NT, Iaria G. Evaluation of APOE ɛ2/ɛ3/ɛ4 Alleles in a Cohort of Individuals Affected by Developmental Topographical Disorientation. J Alzheimers Dis Rep 2021; 5:565-570. [PMID: 34514340 PMCID: PMC8385428 DOI: 10.3233/adr-210304] [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] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The three common alleles of the APOE gene, ɛ2/ɛ3/ɛ4, have been linked to human spatial orientation. We investigated the genetic role of APOE in developmental topographical disorientation (DTD), a lifelong condition that results in topographical disorientation. We genotyped the APOE ɛ2/ɛ3/ɛ4 alleles in a cohort of 20 unrelated DTD probands, and found allele frequencies not statistically different from the those seen in the population as a whole. Therefore, we found no evidence that DTD occurs preferentially on a genetic background containing any particular APOE allele, making it unlikely that these APOE alleles are contributing to the development of DTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah F Barclay
- Department of Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kendra Potocki
- Neurolab, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ford Burles
- Neurolab, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - N Torben Bech-Hansen
- Department of Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Giuseppe Iaria
- Neurolab, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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17
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Schaefer SY, Hooyman A, Duff K. Using a Timed Motor Task to Predict One-Year Functional Decline in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 77:53-58. [PMID: 32651327 DOI: 10.3233/jad-200518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Affordable, noninvasive methods of predicting functional decline are needed for individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease. This study tested whether a timed upper-extremity motor task predicted functional decline over one year in 79 adults diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Participants completed subjective and objective measures of daily functioning at baseline and one year later. Motor task performance and delayed memory were also evaluated at baseline. Motor task performance was a significant predictor of one-year follow-up daily functioning, improving model fits by 18- 35%. Thus, motor behavior has potential to be an affordable enrichment strategy that is sensitive to functional decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney Y Schaefer
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Andrew Hooyman
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Kevin Duff
- Center for Alzheimer's Care, Imaging, and Research, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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18
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Davis R, Owens M. Self-Regulation of Driving Behaviors in Persons With Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease. J Gerontol Nurs 2021; 47:21-27. [PMID: 33377981 DOI: 10.3928/00989134-20201209-01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to determine if persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD reported awareness of driving ability and made self-regulatory changes to the same degree as older adults without AD. Driving awareness and behaviors were collected using a self-report survey. Results of the AD/MCI group were compared to a similarly aged control group. Results showed that persons with AD/MCI reported less confidence in their driving ability and worried about getting lost more often than the control group. In addition, they were more likely to have stopped driving. The AD/MCI group reported that they avoided driving in unfamiliar situations, drove less often, and drove with another person significantly more than the control group. The results give evidence that persons within the early stage of AD may have self-awareness of their driving ability and self-regulate their driving to enhance safety. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 47(1), 21-27.].
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19
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Davis R. The Feasibility of Using Virtual Reality and Eye Tracking in Research With Older Adults With and Without Alzheimer's Disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:607219. [PMID: 34248596 PMCID: PMC8267907 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.607219] [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: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: To examine the feasibility of using large scale spatial, self-mobile, virtual reality, and eye tracking in older adults with and without Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: Older adults with early stage AD (n = 38) and a control group without AD (n = 50) were asked to find their way in a large, projected VR simulation of a retirement community repeatedly over 10 trials for each of 2 days, while wearing eye tracking glasses. Feasibility measures, including tolerance, side effects, and ability to complete the VR and eye tracking were collected. This study reports the analysis of the feasibility data for the VR and eye tracking and comparison of findings between the groups. Results: Over 80% of the subjects were able to complete the VR portion of the study. Only four subjects, all in the AD group, could not use the joystick and were excluded. Withdrawal rate (18%) was similar between the groups [X 2 (2) = 2.82, N = 88, p = 0.245] with most withdrawals occurring after the fourth trial. Simulation sickness was not significantly different between the groups. Only 60% of the subjects had completed eye tracking videos; more subjects in the AD group had complete eye tracking videos than the control group; X 2 (1) = 7.411, N = 88, p = 0.006. Eye tracking incompletion was primarily due to inability to calibration issues. Conclusion: Virtual reality testing and eye tracking can be used in older adults with and without AD in a large-scale way-finding task, but that there are some limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Davis
- Kirkhof College of Nursing, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
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20
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Kim NG, Lee HW. Stereoscopic Depth Perception and Visuospatial Dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease. Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:healthcare9020157. [PMID: 33546119 PMCID: PMC7913121 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9020157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
With visuospatial dysfunction emerging as a potential marker that can detect Alzheimer's disease (AD) even in its earliest stages and with disturbance in stereopsis suspected to be the prime contributor to visuospatial deficits in AD, we assessed stereoscopic abilities of patients with AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Whereas previous research assessing patients' stereoacuity has yielded mixed results, we assessed patients' capacity to process coarse disparities that can convey adequate depth information about objects in the environment. We produced two virtual cubes at two different distances from the observer by manipulating disparity type (absolute vs. relative), disparity direction (crossed vs. uncrossed) and disparity magnitude, then had participants judge the object that appeared closer to them. Two patient groups performed as well as, or even better than elderly controls, suggesting that AD patients' coarse disparity processing capacity is capable of supporting common tasks involving reaching, grasping, driving, and navigation. Results may help researchers narrow down the exact cause(s) of visuospatial deficits in AD and develop and validate measures to assess visuospatial dysfunction in clinical trials and disease diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nam-Gyoon Kim
- Department of Psychology, Keimyung University, Daegu 42601, Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-53-580-5415
| | - Ho-Won Lee
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine & Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea;
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21
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Tuena C, Mancuso V, Stramba-Badiale C, Pedroli E, Stramba-Badiale M, Riva G, Repetto C. Egocentric and Allocentric Spatial Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment with Real-World and Virtual Navigation Tasks: A Systematic Review. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 79:95-116. [PMID: 33216034 PMCID: PMC7902987 DOI: 10.3233/jad-201017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spatial navigation is the ability to estimate one's position on the basis of environmental and self-motion cues. Spatial memory is the cognitive substrate underlying navigation and relies on two different reference frames: egocentric and allocentric. These spatial frames are prone to decline with aging and impairment is even more pronounced in Alzheimer's disease (AD) or in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review of experimental studies investigating which MCI population and tasks are used to evaluate spatial memory and how allocentric and egocentric deficits are impaired in MCI after navigation. METHODS PRISMA and PICO guidelines were applied to carry out the systematic search. Down and Black checklist was used to assess methodological quality. RESULTS Our results showed that amnestic MCI and AD pathology are the most investigated typologies; both egocentric and allocentric memory are impaired in MCI individuals, and MCI due to AD biomarkers has specific encoding and retrieval impairments; secondly, spatial navigation is principally investigated with the hidden goal task (virtual and real-world version), and among studies involving virtual reality, the privileged setting consists of non-immersive technology; thirdly, despite subtle differences, real-world and virtual versions showed good overlap for the assessment of MCI spatial memory. CONCLUSION Considering that MCI is a subclinical entity with potential risk for conversion to dementia, investigating spatial memory deficits with navigation tasks might be crucial to make accurate diagnosis and rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosimo Tuena
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Mancuso
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Stramba-Badiale
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Pedroli
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Faculty of Psychology, Universitá eCampus, Novedrate, Italy
| | - Marco Stramba-Badiale
- Department of Geriatrics and Cardiovascular Medicine, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Riva
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.,Humane Technology Lab, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Repetto
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
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22
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Puthusseryppady V, Emrich-Mills L, Lowry E, Patel M, Hornberger M. Spatial Disorientation in Alzheimer's Disease: The Missing Path From Virtual Reality to Real World. Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12:550514. [PMID: 33192453 PMCID: PMC7652847 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.550514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Luke Emrich-Mills
- Research Development Programme, Norfolk and Suffolk National Health Service Foundation Trust, St Andrew's Lodge, Julian Hospital, Norwich, United Kingdom.,Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ellen Lowry
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom.,School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Martyn Patel
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom.,Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Hornberger
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
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23
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Robison LS, Gannon OJ, Thomas MA, Salinero AE, Abi-Ghanem C, Poitelon Y, Belin S, Zuloaga KL. Role of sex and high-fat diet in metabolic and hypothalamic disturbances in the 3xTg-AD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. J Neuroinflammation 2020; 17:285. [PMID: 32993686 PMCID: PMC7526387 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-020-01956-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hypothalamic dysfunction occurs early in the clinical course of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), likely contributing to disturbances in feeding behavior and metabolic function that are often observed years prior to the onset of cognitive symptoms. Late-life weight loss and low BMI are associated with increased risk of dementia and faster progression of disease. However, high-fat diet and metabolic disease (e.g., obesity, type 2 diabetes), particularly in mid-life, are associated with increased risk of AD, as well as exacerbated AD pathology and behavioral deficits in animal models. In the current study, we explored possible relationships between hypothalamic function, diet/metabolic status, and AD. Considering the sex bias in AD, with women representing two-thirds of AD patients, we sought to determine whether these relationships vary by sex. Methods WT and 3xTg-AD male and female mice were fed a control (10% fat) or high-fat (HF 60% fat) diet from ~ 3–7 months of age, then tested for metabolic and hypothalamic disturbances. Results On control diet, male 3xTg-AD mice displayed decreased body weight, reduced fat mass, hypoleptinemia, and mild systemic inflammation, as well as increased expression of gliosis- and inflammation-related genes in the hypothalamus (Iba1, GFAP, TNF-α, IL-1β). In contrast, female 3xTg-AD mice on control diet displayed metabolic disturbances opposite that of 3xTg-AD males (increased body and fat mass, impaired glucose tolerance). HF diet resulted in expected metabolic alterations across groups (increased body and fat mass; glucose intolerance; increased plasma insulin and leptin, decreased ghrelin; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-related pathology). HF diet resulted in the greatest weight gain, adiposity, and glucose intolerance in 3xTg-AD females, which were associated with markedly increased hypothalamic expression of GFAP and IL-1β, as well as GFAP labeling in several hypothalamic nuclei that regulate energy balance. In contrast, HF diet increased diabetes markers and systemic inflammation preferentially in AD males but did not exacerbate hypothalamic inflammation in this group. Conclusions These findings provide further evidence for the roles of hypothalamic and metabolic dysfunction in AD, which in the 3xTg-AD mouse model appears to be dependent on both sex and diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa S Robison
- Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, MC-136, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Olivia J Gannon
- Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, MC-136, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Melissa A Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, MC-136, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Abigail E Salinero
- Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, MC-136, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Charly Abi-Ghanem
- Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, MC-136, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Yannick Poitelon
- Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, MC-136, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Sophie Belin
- Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, MC-136, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Kristen L Zuloaga
- Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, MC-136, Albany, NY, 12208, USA.
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Davis R, Sikorskii A. Eye Tracking Analysis of Visual Cues during Wayfinding in Early Stage Alzheimer's Disease. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2020; 49:91-97. [PMID: 32516764 PMCID: PMC7483804 DOI: 10.1159/000506859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have profound impairment in wayfinding, potentially related to a deficit in visual attention and selection of relevant environmental information. This study sought to determine differences in visual attention to salient visual cues and nonsalient cues (building features) in older adults with and without AD during active wayfinding in a large-scale, virtual reality spatial task. METHODS Fifteen subjects (7 with AD and 8 controls without AD) were asked to find their way repeatedly during 10 trials in a virtual simulation of a senior retirement community. Subjects wore eye tracking glasses to capture visual fixations while wayfinding. The least square means (LSMs) and their standard errors (SEs) for percentage of fixations and duration of fixations on salient and nonsalient cues were estimated from the linear mixed effects models and compared by group (AD or control) and cue type. RESULTS The group by cue type interaction was significant for both percentage of fixations (F(1, 13) = 6.79, p = 0.02) and duration of fixations (F(1, 13) = 4.87, p = 0.04). The AD group had significantly lower percentages of fixations on salient cues, LSM = 57.91 (SE = 2.44), compared to controls, LSM = 66.40 (SE = 2.19); p = 0.03. Persons with AD had a higher percentage of fixations on building features, LSM = 31.65 (SE = 2.18), than controls, LSM = 24.54 (SE = 1.95); p = 0.02. Shorter durations of fixations on salient cues were experienced by the AD group, LSM = 38.89 (SE = 1.69), than the control group, LSM = 44.69 (SE = 1.55); p = 0.02. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION Individuals with AD may have difficulty selecting relevant information for wayfinding as compared to normally aging individuals and attend more frequently than controls to irrelevant information. This may help explain the wayfinding difficulties seen in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Davis
- Kirkhof College of Nursing, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA,
| | - Alla Sikorskii
- Department of Psychiatry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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25
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Lowry E, Puthusseryppady V, Coughlan G, Jeffs S, Hornberger M. Path Integration Changes as a Cognitive Marker for Vascular Cognitive Impairment?-A Pilot Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:131. [PMID: 32372934 PMCID: PMC7186341 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Path integration spatial navigation processes are emerging as promising cognitive markers for prodromal and clinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, such path integration changes have been less explored in Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI), despite neurovascular change being a major contributing factor to dementia and potentially AD. In particular, the sensitivity and specificity of path integration impairments in VCI compared to AD is unclear. In the current pilot study, we explore path integration performance in early-stage AD and VCI patient groups and hypothesize that: (i) medial parietal mediated egocentric processes will be more affected in VCI; and (ii) medial temporal mediated allocentric processes will be more affected in AD. This cross-sectional study included early-stage VCI patients (n = 9), AD patients (n = 10) and healthy age-matched controls (n = 20). All participants underwent extensive neuropsychological testing, as well as spatial navigation testing. The spatial navigation tests included the virtual reality “Supermarket” task assessing egocentric (body-based) and allocentric (map-based) navigation as well as the “Clock Orientation” test assessing egocentric and path integration processes. Results showed that egocentric integration processes are only impaired in VCI, potentially distinguishing it from AD. However, in contrast to our prediction, allocentric integration was not more impaired in AD compared to VCI. These preliminary findings suggest limited specificity of allocentric integration deficits between VCI and AD. By contrast, egocentric path integration deficits emerge as more specific to VCI, potentially allowing for more specific diagnostic and treatment outcome measures for vascular impairment in dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Lowry
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom.,School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | | | - Gillian Coughlan
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen Jeffs
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Hornberger
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
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26
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Schöberl F, Zwergal A, Brandt T. Testing Navigation in Real Space: Contributions to Understanding the Physiology and Pathology of Human Navigation Control. Front Neural Circuits 2020; 14:6. [PMID: 32210769 PMCID: PMC7069479 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2020.00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful navigation relies on the flexible and appropriate use of metric representations of space or topological knowledge of the environment. Spatial dimensions (2D vs. 3D), spatial scales (vista-scale vs. large-scale environments) and the abundance of visual landmarks critically affect navigation performance and behavior in healthy human subjects. Virtual reality (VR)-based navigation paradigms in stationary position have given insight into the major navigational strategies, namely egocentric (body-centered) and allocentric (world-centered), and the cerebral control of navigation. However, VR approaches are biased towards optic flow and visual landmark processing. This major limitation can be overcome to some extent by increasingly immersive and realistic VR set-ups (including large-screen projections, eye tracking and use of head-mounted camera systems). However, the highly immersive VR settings are difficult to apply particularly to older subjects and patients with neurological disorders because of cybersickness and difficulties with learning and conducting the tasks. Therefore, a need for the development of novel spatial tasks in real space exists, which allows a synchronous analysis of navigational behavior, strategy, visual explorations and navigation-induced brain activation patterns. This review summarizes recent findings from real space navigation studies in healthy subjects and patients with different cognitive and sensory neurological disorders. Advantages and limitations of real space navigation testing and different VR-based navigation paradigms are discussed in view of potential future applications in clinical neurology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Schöberl
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, DSGZ, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Zwergal
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, DSGZ, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Brandt
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, DSGZ, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Clinical Neurosciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
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Bažadona D, Fabek I, Babić Leko M, Bobić Rasonja M, Kalinić D, Bilić E, Raguž JD, Mimica N, Borovečki F, Hof PR, Šimić G. A non-invasive hidden-goal test for spatial orientation deficit detection in subjects with suspected mild cognitive impairment. J Neurosci Methods 2020; 332:108547. [PMID: 31830545 PMCID: PMC6990141 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.108547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a need for highly sensitive and specific tests and biomarkers that would allow preclinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), which would also enable timely intervention. NEW METHOD We have developed a new system (ALZENTIA) to help detect early MCI, mainly caused by AD. The system is based on a hidden-goal task (HGT) in which the human subject has to find a target that is not visible; as such, the navigation is based on a previously memorized target position, in relation to the starting position (egocentric variant) and/or other navigational landmarks (allocentric variant of the task). We present our preliminary results obtained in 33 patients with MCI and 91 healthy controls (HC). RESULTS AND COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Between-group differences in the average error measured in allocentric, egocentric, and combined allocentric-egocentric subtests were statistically significant in MCI compared to HC. The high negative predictive values suggested high discriminative capacity and diagnostic potential for the HGT test as a tool to detect subjects in healthy population who will progress to MCI. Considering the low sensitivity of the Mini-Mental Status Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment tests, we believe that HGT can improve early identification of MCI patients who will progress to AD. CONCLUSION The HGT carried out with the ALZENTIA system proved to be a reliable screening test to identify individuals with MCI from an aging cohort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danira Bažadona
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ivan Fabek
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mirjana Babić Leko
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mihaela Bobić Rasonja
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dubravka Kalinić
- Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče, University of Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ervina Bilić
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jakov Domagoj Raguž
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Bethlem Royal Hospital, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Ninoslav Mimica
- Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče, University of Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Fran Borovečki
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, and Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Goran Šimić
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia.
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Laczó J, Cechova K, Parizkova M, Lerch O, Andel R, Matoska V, Kaplan V, Matuskova V, Nedelska Z, Vyhnalek M, Hort J. The Combined Effect of APOE and BDNF Val66Met Polymorphisms on Spatial Navigation in Older Adults. J Alzheimers Dis 2020; 78:1473-1492. [PMID: 33325388 PMCID: PMC7836052 DOI: 10.3233/jad-200615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 allele is associated with episodic memory and spatial navigation deficits. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Met allele may further worsen memory impairment in APOEɛ4 carriers but its role in APOEɛ4-related spatial navigation deficits has not been established. OBJECTIVE We examined influence of APOE and BDNF Val66Met polymorphism combination on spatial navigation and volumes of selected navigation-related brain regions in cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults and those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). METHODS 187 participants (aMCI [n = 116] and CU [n = 71]) from the Czech Brain Aging Study were stratified based on APOE and BDNF Val66Met polymorphisms into four groups: ɛ4-/BDNFVal/Val, ɛ4-/BDNFMet, ɛ4+/BDNFVal/Val, and ɛ4+/BDNFMet. The participants underwent comprehensive neuropsychological examination, brain MRI, and spatial navigation testing of egocentric, allocentric, and allocentric delayed navigation in a real-space human analogue of the Morris water maze. RESULTS Among the aMCI participants, the ɛ4+/BDNFMet group had the least accurate egocentric navigation performance (p < 0.05) and lower verbal memory performance than the ɛ4-/BDNFVal/Val group (p = 0.007). The ɛ4+/BDNFMet group had smaller hippocampal and entorhinal cortical volumes than the ɛ4-/BDNFVal/Val (p≤0.019) and ɛ4-/BDNFMet (p≤0.020) groups. Among the CU participants, the ɛ4+/BDNFMet group had less accurate allocentric and allocentric delayed navigation performance than the ɛ4-/BDNFVal/Val group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION The combination of APOEɛ4 and BDNF Met polymorphisms is associated with more pronounced egocentric navigation impairment and atrophy of the medial temporal lobe regions in individuals with aMCI and less accurate allocentric navigation in CU older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Laczó
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Katerina Cechova
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Parizkova
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ondrej Lerch
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ross Andel
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Vaclav Matoska
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Hematology and Immunology, Homolka Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtech Kaplan
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Hematology and Immunology, Homolka Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Matuskova
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Nedelska
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Vyhnalek
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Hort
- Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Charles University, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
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Clay F, Howett D, FitzGerald J, Fletcher P, Chan D, Price A. Use of Immersive Virtual Reality in the Assessment and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review. J Alzheimers Dis 2020; 75:23-43. [PMID: 32280091 PMCID: PMC7306888 DOI: 10.3233/jad-191218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immersive virtual reality (iVR) allows seamless interaction with simulated environments and is becoming an established tool in clinical research. It is unclear whether iVR is acceptable to people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia or useful in their care. We explore whether iVR is a viable research tool that may aid the detection and treatment of AD. OBJECTIVES This review examines the use of iVR in people with AD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception. PRISMA guidelines were used with studies selected by at least two researchers. RESULTS Nine studies were eligible for inclusion. None reported any issues with iVR tolerability in participants with MCI and AD on assessment or treatment tasks. One study demonstrated capability for detecting prodromal AD and correlated with neuroanatomical substrates. Two studies showed iVR to have high accuracy in differentiating participants with AD from controls but were not hypothesis driven or with adequate controls measures. In a small validation study and two longitudinal case studies, iVR cognitive training was positively rated but did not demonstrate reliable benefit. CONCLUSION iVR is emerging as a viable method of assessing older adults and people with AD. Strongest benefits were seen when closely integrated with theoretical models of neurodegeneration and existing screening methods. Further randomized controlled trials integrated with clinical populations are required. This will consolidate the power of iVR for assessment of MCI and clarify treatment efficacy beyond current applications in physical rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Clay
- Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust, Elizabeth House, Fulbourn Hospital Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- ARC East of England, Douglas House, Cambridge, UK
| | - David Howett
- University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - James FitzGerald
- Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust, Elizabeth House, Fulbourn Hospital Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- ARC East of England, Douglas House, Cambridge, UK
| | - Paul Fletcher
- Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust, Elizabeth House, Fulbourn Hospital Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dennis Chan
- University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, Alexandra House, London, UK
| | - Annabel Price
- Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust, Elizabeth House, Fulbourn Hospital Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- ARC East of England, Douglas House, Cambridge, UK
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Kunz L, Maidenbaum S, Chen D, Wang L, Jacobs J, Axmacher N. Mesoscopic Neural Representations in Spatial Navigation. Trends Cogn Sci 2019; 23:615-630. [PMID: 31130396 PMCID: PMC6601347 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that mesoscopic neural oscillations measured via intracranial electroencephalography exhibit spatial representations, which were previously only observed at the micro- and macroscopic level of brain organization. Specifically, theta (and gamma) oscillations correlate with movement, speed, distance, specific locations, and goal proximity to boundaries. In entorhinal cortex (EC), they exhibit hexadirectional modulation, which is putatively linked to grid cell activity. Understanding this mesoscopic neural code is crucial because information represented by oscillatory power and phase may complement the information content at other levels of brain organization. Mesoscopic neural oscillations help bridge the gap between single-neuron and macroscopic brain signals of spatial navigation and may provide a mechanistic basis for novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets to treat diseases causing spatial disorientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Kunz
- Epilepsy Center, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
| | - Shachar Maidenbaum
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA.
| | - Dong Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Liang Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Joshua Jacobs
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA.
| | - Nikolai Axmacher
- Department of Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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31
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Flanagin VL, Fisher P, Olcay B, Kohlbecher S, Brandt T. A bedside application-based assessment of spatial orientation and memory: approaches and lessons learned. J Neurol 2019; 266:126-138. [PMID: 31240446 PMCID: PMC6722154 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-019-09409-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Spatial orientation and memory deficits are an often overlooked and potentially powerful early marker for pathological cognitive decline. Pen-and-paper tests for spatial abilities often do not coincide with actual navigational performance due to differences in spatial perspective and scale. Mobile devices are becoming increasingly useful in a clinical setting, for patient monitoring, clinical decision-making, and information management. The same devices have positional information that may be useful for a scale appropriate point-of-care test for spatial ability. We created a test for spatial orientation and memory based on pointing within a single room using the sensors in mobile phone. The test consisted of a baseline pointing condition to which all other conditions were compared, a spatial memory condition with eyes-closed, and two body rotation conditions (real or mental) where spatial updating were assessed. We examined the effectiveness of the sensors from a mobile phone for measuring pointing errors in these conditions in a sample of healthy young individuals. We found that the sensors reliably produced appropriate azimuth and elevation pointing angles for all of the 15 targets presented across multiple participants and days. Within-subject variability was below 6° elevation and 10° azimuth for the control condition. The pointing error and variability increased with task difficulty and correlated with self-report tests of spatial ability. The lessons learned from the first tests are discussed as well as the outlook of this application as a scientific and clinical bedside device. Finally, the next version of the application is introduced as an open source application for further development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul Fisher
- Neuro-Cognitive-Psychology, Department of Psychology, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Berk Olcay
- Computer Aided Medical Procedures, Technical University Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Kohlbecher
- German Centre for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (DSGZ), Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Brandt
- German Centre for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (DSGZ), Munich, Germany
- Hertie, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
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32
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Toward personalized cognitive diagnostics of at-genetic-risk Alzheimer's disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:9285-9292. [PMID: 31015296 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1901600116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial navigation is emerging as a critical factor in identifying preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the impact of interindividual navigation ability and demographic risk factors (e.g., APOE, age, and sex) on spatial navigation make it difficult to identify persons "at high risk" of AD in the preclinical stages. In the current study, we use spatial navigation big data (n = 27,108) from the Sea Hero Quest (SHQ) game to overcome these challenges by investigating whether big data can be used to benchmark a highly phenotyped healthy aging laboratory cohort into high- vs. low-risk persons based on their genetic (APOE) and demographic (sex, age, and educational attainment) risk factors. Our results replicate previous findings in APOE ε4 carriers, indicative of grid cell coding errors in the entorhinal cortex, the initial brain region affected by AD pathophysiology. We also show that although baseline navigation ability differs between men and women, sex does not interact with the APOE genotype to influence the manifestation of AD-related spatial disturbance. Most importantly, we demonstrate that such high-risk preclinical cases can be reliably distinguished from low-risk participants using big-data spatial navigation benchmarks. By contrast, participants were undistinguishable on neuropsychological episodic memory tests. Taken together, we present evidence to suggest that, in the future, SHQ normative benchmark data can be used to more accurately classify spatial impairments in at-high-risk of AD healthy participants at a more individual level, therefore providing the steppingstone for individualized diagnostics and outcome measures of cognitive symptoms in preclinical AD.
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Coutrot A, Schmidt S, Coutrot L, Pittman J, Hong L, Wiener JM, Hölscher C, Dalton RC, Hornberger M, Spiers HJ. Virtual navigation tested on a mobile app is predictive of real-world wayfinding navigation performance. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213272. [PMID: 30883560 PMCID: PMC6422266 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Virtual reality environments presented on tablets and smartphones have potential to aid the early diagnosis of conditions such as Alzheimer’s dementia by quantifying impairments in navigation performance. However, it is unclear whether performance on mobile devices can predict navigation errors in the real world. We compared the performance of 49 participants (25 females, 18-35 years old) at wayfinding and path integration tasks designed in our mobile app ‘Sea Hero Quest’ with their performance at similar tasks in a real-world environment. We first performed this experiment in the streets of London (UK) and replicated it in Paris (France). In both cities, we found a significant correlation between virtual and real-world wayfinding performance and a male advantage in both environments, although smaller in the real world (Cohen’s d in the game = 0.89, in the real world = 0.59). Results in London and Paris were highly similar, and controlling for familiarity with video games did not change the results. The strength of the correlation between real world and virtual environment increased with the difficulty of the virtual wayfinding task, indicating that Sea Hero Quest does not merely capture video gaming skills. The fact that the Sea Hero Quest wayfinding task has real-world ecological validity constitutes a step toward controllable, sensitive, safe, low-cost, and easy to administer digital cognitive assessment of navigation ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Coutrot
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Numérique de Nantes - CNRS - Université de Nantes, Nantes, France
- * E-mail: (AC); (MH); (HS)
| | - Sophie Schmidt
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lena Coutrot
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Institut Jean Nicod, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Jessica Pittman
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lynn Hong
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jan M. Wiener
- Department of Psychology, Ageing and Dementia Research Centre, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ruth C. Dalton
- Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Hornberger
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (AC); (MH); (HS)
| | - Hugo J. Spiers
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (AC); (MH); (HS)
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Ye C, Mori S, Chan P, Ma T. Connectome-wide network analysis of white matter connectivity in Alzheimer's disease. Neuroimage Clin 2019; 22:101690. [PMID: 30825712 PMCID: PMC6396432 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
A multivariate analytical strategy may pinpoint the structural connectivity patterns associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in connectome-wide association studies. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data from 161 participants including subjects with healthy controls, AD, stable and converting mild cognitive impairment, were selected for group-wise comparisons. A multivariate distance matrix regression (MDMR) analysis was performed to detect abnormality in brain structural network along with disease progression. Based on the seed regions returned by the MDMR analysis, supervised learning was applied to evaluate the disease predictive performance. Nine brain regions, including the left orbital part of superior and middle frontal gyrus, the bilateral supplementary motor area, the bilateral insula, the left hippocampus, the left putamen, and the left thalamus demonstrated extremely significant structural pattern changes along with the progression of AD. The disease classification was more efficient when based on the key connectivity related to these seed regions than when based on whole-brain structural connectivity. MDMR analysis reveals brain network reorganization caused by AD pathology. The key structural connectivity detected in this study exhibits promising distinguishing capability to predict prodromal AD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenfei Ye
- Department of Electronic and Information Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology at Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China; Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Susumu Mori
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Piu Chan
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Department of Neurobiology, Neurology and Geriatrics, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Beijing, China; Clinical Center for Parkinson's Disease, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disease of the Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory for Parkinson's Disease, Parkinson Disease Center of Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Ma
- Department of Electronic and Information Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology at Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China; Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
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Ovarian Cycle Stages Modulate Alzheimer-Related Cognitive and Brain Network Alterations in Female Mice. eNeuro 2018; 5:eN-NWR-0132-17. [PMID: 30627643 PMCID: PMC6325547 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0132-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2017] [Revised: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) begins several decades before the onset of clinical symptoms, at a time when women may still undergo reproductive cycling. Whether ovarian functions alter substrates of AD pathogenesis is unknown. Here we show that ovarian cycle stages significantly modulate AD-related alterations in neural network patterns, cognitive impairments, and pathogenic protein production in the hAPP-J20 mouse model of AD. Female hAPP mice spent more time in estrogen-dominant cycle stages and these ovarian stages worsened AD-related network dysfunction and cognitive impairments. In contrast, progesterone-dominant stages and gonadectomy attenuated these AD-related deficits. Further studies revealed a direct role for estradiol in stimulating neural network excitability and susceptibility to seizures in hAPP mice and increasing amyloid beta levels. Understanding dynamic effects of the ovarian cycle on the female nervous system in disease, including AD, is of critical importance and may differ from effects on a healthy brain. The pattern of ovarian cycle effects on disease-related networks, cognition, and pathogenic protein expression may be relevant to young women at risk for AD.
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Huffman DJ, Ekstrom AD. Which way is the bookstore? A closer look at the judgments of relative directions task. SPATIAL COGNITION AND COMPUTATION 2018; 19:93-129. [PMID: 31105466 PMCID: PMC6519130 DOI: 10.1080/13875868.2018.1531869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
We present a detailed analysis of a widely used assay in human spatial cognition, the judgments of relative direction (JRD) task. We conducted three experiments involving virtual navigation interspersed with the JRD task, and included confidence judgments and map drawing as additional metrics. We also present a technique for assessing the similarity of the cognitive representations underlying performance on the JRD and map drawing tasks. Our results support the construct validity of the JRD task and its connection to allocentric representation. Additionally, we found that chance performance on the JRD task depends on the distribution of the angles of participants' responses, rather than being constant and 90 degrees. Accordingly, we present a method for better determining chance performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arne D Ekstrom
- Center for Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of California, Davis; Psychology Department, University of Arizona
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37
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Progressive impairment of directional and spatially precise trajectories by TgF344-Alzheimer's disease rats in the Morris Water Task. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16153. [PMID: 30385825 PMCID: PMC6212523 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34368-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial navigation is impaired in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and may be a defining behavioral marker of preclinical AD. A new rat model (TgF344-AD) of AD overcomes many limitations of other rodent models, though spatial navigation has not been comprehensively assessed. Using the hidden and cued platform variants of the Morris water task, a longitudinal assessment of spatial navigation was conducted on TgF344-AD (n = 16) and Fischer 344 (n = 12) male and female rats at three age ranges: 4 to 5 months, 7 to 8, and 10 to 11 months of age. TgF344-AD rats exhibited largely intact navigation at 4–5 months, with deficits in the hidden platform task emerging at 7–8 months and becoming significantly pronounced at 10–11 months of age. In general, TgF344-AD rats displayed less accurate swim trajectories to the platform and searched a wider area around the platform region compared to wildtype rats. Impaired navigation occurred in the absence of deficits in acquiring the procedural task demands or navigation to the cued platform location. Together, the results indicate that TgF344-AD rats exhibit comparable navigational deficits to those found in individuals with preclinical-AD.
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38
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Solari N, Hangya B. Cholinergic modulation of spatial learning, memory and navigation. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 48:2199-2230. [PMID: 30055067 PMCID: PMC6174978 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Spatial learning, including encoding and retrieval of spatial memories as well as holding spatial information in working memory generally serving navigation under a broad range of circumstances, relies on a network of structures. While central to this network are medial temporal lobe structures with a widely appreciated crucial function of the hippocampus, neocortical areas such as the posterior parietal cortex and the retrosplenial cortex also play essential roles. Since the hippocampus receives its main subcortical input from the medial septum of the basal forebrain (BF) cholinergic system, it is not surprising that the potential role of the septo-hippocampal pathway in spatial navigation has been investigated in many studies. Much less is known of the involvement in spatial cognition of the parallel projection system linking the posterior BF with neocortical areas. Here we review the current state of the art of the division of labour within this complex 'navigation system', with special focus on how subcortical cholinergic inputs may regulate various aspects of spatial learning, memory and navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Solari
- Lendület Laboratory of Systems NeuroscienceDepartment of Cellular and Network NeurobiologyInstitute of Experimental MedicineHungarian Academy of SciencesBudapestHungary
| | - Balázs Hangya
- Lendület Laboratory of Systems NeuroscienceDepartment of Cellular and Network NeurobiologyInstitute of Experimental MedicineHungarian Academy of SciencesBudapestHungary
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39
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da Costa RQM, Pompeu JE, de Mello DD, Moretto E, Rodrigues FZ, Dos Santos MD, Nitrini R, Morganti F, Brucki SMD. Two new virtual reality tasks for the assessment of spatial orientation Preliminary results of tolerability, sense of presence and usability. Dement Neuropsychol 2018; 12:196-204. [PMID: 29988338 PMCID: PMC6022991 DOI: 10.1590/1980-57642018dn12-020013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial orientation is a cognitive domain frequently impaired in Alzheimer's Disease and can be one of its earliest symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - José Eduardo Pompeu
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia ocupacional da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Daniel Donadio de Mello
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia ocupacional da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Emerson Moretto
- Departamento de Engenharia de Sistemas Eletrônicos, Escola Politécnica, Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Zillig Rodrigues
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia ocupacional da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Michelle Didone Dos Santos
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia ocupacional da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Nitrini
- Departamento de Neurologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Francesca Morganti
- Dipartimento di Scienze umane e sociali, Università degli studi di Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
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40
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Wen D, Lan X, Zhou Y, Li G, Hsu SH, Jung TP. The Study of Evaluation and Rehabilitation of Patients With Different Cognitive Impairment Phases Based on Virtual Reality and EEG. Front Aging Neurosci 2018; 10:88. [PMID: 29666577 PMCID: PMC5891607 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2018.00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Dong Wen
- Department of Software Engineering, School of Information Science and Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China.,The Key Laboratory for Computer Virtual Technology and System Integration of Hebei Province, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Xifa Lan
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Yanhong Zhou
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, School of Mathematics and Information Science and Technology, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Guolin Li
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, School of Mathematics and Information Science and Technology, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Sheng-Hsiou Hsu
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Tzyy-Ping Jung
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
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41
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Coughlan G, Flanagan E, Jeffs S, Bertoux M, Spiers H, Mioshi E, Hornberger M. Diagnostic relevance of spatial orientation for vascular dementia: A case study. Dement Neuropsychol 2018; 12:85-91. [PMID: 29682239 PMCID: PMC5901255 DOI: 10.1590/1980-57642018dn12-010013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial orientation is emerging as an early and reliable cognitive biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathophysiology. However, no evidence exists as to whether spatial orientation is also affected in vascular dementia (VaD).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emma Flanagan
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Stephen Jeffs
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Maxime Bertoux
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Hugo Spiers
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Eneida Mioshi
- School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Michael Hornberger
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.,Dementia and Complexity in Later Life, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK
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42
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Abstract
Egocentric (self-centered) and allocentric (viewpoint independent) representations of space are essential for spatial navigation and wayfinding. Deficits in spatial memory come with age-related cognitive decline, are marked in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and are associated with cognitive deficits in autism. In most of these disorders, a change in the brain areas engaged in the spatial reference system processing has been documented. However, the spatial memory deficits observed during physiological and pathological aging are quite different. While patients with AD and MCI have a general spatial navigation impairment in both allocentric and egocentric strategies, healthy older adults are particularly limited in the allocentric navigation, but they can still count on egocentric navigation strategy to solve spatial tasks. Therefore, specific navigational tests should be considered for differential diagnosis between healthy and pathological aging conditions. Finally, more research is still needed to better understand the spatial abilities of autistic individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Concetta Miniaci
- Department of Pharmacy , School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Elvira De Leonibus
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics (IGB) , National Research Council, Naples, Italy.,Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, Telethon Foundation, Pozzuoli, Italy
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43
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Yatawara C, Lee DR, Lim L, Zhou J, Kandiah N. Getting Lost Behavior in Patients with Mild Alzheimer's Disease: A Cognitive and Anatomical Model. Front Med (Lausanne) 2017; 4:201. [PMID: 29201866 PMCID: PMC5696332 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2017.00201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Getting lost behavior (GLB) in the elderly is believed to involve poor top-down modulation of visuospatial processing, by impaired executive functions. However, since healthy elderly and elderly with Alzheimer's disease (AD) experience a different pattern of cognitive decline, it remains unclear whether this hypothesis can explain GLB in dementia. Objective We sought to identify whether poor executive functions and working memory modulate the relationship between visuospatial processing and prevalence of GLB in healthy elderly and patients with AD. Complementary to this, we explored whether brain regions critical for executive functions modulate the relationship between GLB and brain regions critical for visuospatial processing. Method Ninety-two participants with mild AD and 46 healthy age-matched controls underwent neuropsychological assessment and a structural MRI. GLB was assessed using a semistructured clinical interview. Path analysis was used to explore interactions between visuospatial deficits, executive dysfunction/working memory, and prevalence of GLB, in AD and controls independently. Results For both healthy controls and patients with mild AD, visuospatial processing deficits were associated with GLB only in the presence of poor working memory. Anatomically, GLB was associated with medial temporal atrophy in patients with mild AD, which was not strengthened by low frontal gray matter (GM) volume as predicted. Instead, medial temporal atrophy was more strongly related to GLB in patients with high frontal GM volumes. For controls, GLB was not associated with occipital, parietal, medial temporal, or frontal GM volume. Conclusion Cognitively, a top-down modulation deficit may drive GLB in both healthy elderly and patients with mild AD. This modulation effect may be localized in the medial temporal lobe for patients with mild AD. Thus, anatomical substrates of GLB in mild AD may not follow the typical top-down modulation mechanisms often reported in the healthy aging population. Implications advance therapeutic practices by highlighting the need to target both working memory and visuospatial deficits simultaneously, and that anatomical substrates of GLB may be disease specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chathuri Yatawara
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Daryl Renick Lee
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Levinia Lim
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Juan Zhou
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nagaendran Kandiah
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore, Singapore.,Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
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Spatial Navigation Impairment Is Associated with Alterations in Subcortical Intrinsic Activity in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Resting-State fMRI Study. Behav Neurol 2017; 2017:6364314. [PMID: 29085184 PMCID: PMC5632470 DOI: 10.1155/2017/6364314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Impairment of spatial navigation (SN) skills is one of the features of the Alzheimer's disease (AD) already at the stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We used a computer-based battery of spatial navigation tests to measure the SN performance in 22 MCI patients as well as 21 normal controls (NC). In order to evaluate intrinsic activity in the subcortical regions that may play a role in SN, we measured ALFF, fALFF, and ReHo derived within 14 subcortical regions. We observed reductions of intrinsic activity in MCI patients. We also demonstrated that the MCI versus NC group difference can modulate activity-behavior relationship, that is, the correlation slopes between ReHo and allocentric SN task total errors were significantly different between NC and MCI groups in the right hippocampus (interaction F = 4.44, p = 0.05), pallidum (F = 8.97, p = 0.005), and thalamus (F = 5.95, p = 0.02), which were negative in NC (right hippocampus, r = −0.49; right pallidum, r = −0.50; right thalamus, r = −0.45; all p < 0.05) but absent in MCI (right hippocampus, r = 0.21; right pallidum, r = 0.32; right thalamus r = 0.28; all p > 0.2). These findings may provide a novel insight of the brain mechanism associated with SN impairment in MCI and indicated a stage specificity of brain-behavior correlation in dementia. This trial is registered with ChiCTR-BRC-17011316.
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45
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Berkowitz BA, Lenning J, Khetarpal N, Tran C, Wu JY, Berri AM, Dernay K, Haacke EM, Shafie-Khorassani F, Podolsky RH, Gant JC, Maimaiti S, Thibault O, Murphy GG, Bennett BM, Roberts R. In vivo imaging of prodromal hippocampus CA1 subfield oxidative stress in models of Alzheimer disease and Angelman syndrome. FASEB J 2017; 31:4179-4186. [PMID: 28592637 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201700229r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Hippocampus oxidative stress is considered pathogenic in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer disease (AD), and in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Angelman syndrome (AS). Yet clinical benefits of antioxidant treatment for these diseases remain unclear because conventional imaging methods are unable to guide management of therapies in specific hippocampus subfields in vivo that underlie abnormal behavior. Excessive production of paramagnetic free radicals in nonhippocampus brain tissue can be measured in vivo as a greater-than-normal 1/T1 that is quenchable with antioxidant as measured by quench-assisted (Quest) MRI. Here, we further test this approach in phantoms, and we present proof-of-concept data in models of AD-like and AS hippocampus oxidative stress that also exhibit impaired spatial learning and memory. AD-like models showed an abnormal gradient along the CA1 dorsal-ventral axis of excessive free radical production as measured by Quest MRI, and redox-sensitive calcium dysregulation as measured by manganese-enhanced MRI and electrophysiology. In the AS model, abnormally high free radical levels were observed in dorsal and ventral CA1. Quest MRI is a promising in vivo paradigm for bridging brain subfield oxidative stress and behavior in animal models and in human patients to better manage antioxidant therapy in devastating neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases.-Berkowitz, B. A., Lenning, J., Khetarpal, N., Tran, C., Wu, J. Y., Berri, A. M., Dernay, K., Haacke, E. M., Shafie-Khorassani, F., Podolsky, R. H., Gant, J. C., Maimaiti, S., Thibault, O., Murphy, G. G., Bennett, B. M., Roberts, R. In vivo imaging of prodromal hippocampus CA1 subfield oxidative stress in models of Alzheimer disease and Angelman syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce A Berkowitz
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA; .,Department of Ophthalmology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Jacob Lenning
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Nikita Khetarpal
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Catherine Tran
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Johnny Y Wu
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Ali M Berri
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Kristin Dernay
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - E Mark Haacke
- Department of Radiology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Fatema Shafie-Khorassani
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Robert H Podolsky
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - John C Gant
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Shaniya Maimaiti
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Olivier Thibault
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Geoffrey G Murphy
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Molecular Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Brian M Bennett
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robin Roberts
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
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Paternal spatial training enhances offspring's cognitive performance and synaptic plasticity in wild-type but not improve memory deficit in Alzheimer's mice. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1521. [PMID: 28484240 PMCID: PMC5431522 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01811-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that spatial training can maintain associative memory capacity in Tg2576 mice, but it is not known whether the beneficial effects can be inherited from the trained fathers to their offspring. Here, we exposed male wild-type and male 3XTg Alzheimer disease (AD) mice (3-m old) respectively to spatial training for one week and assessed the transgenerational effects in the F1 offspring when they were grown to 7-m old. We found that the paternal spatial training significantly enhanced progeny’s spatial cognitive performance and synaptic transmission in wild-type mice. Among several synapse- or memory-associated proteins, we observed that the expression level of synaptotagmin 1 (SYT1) was significantly increased in the hippocampus of the paternally trained-offspring. Paternal training increased histone acetylation at the promoter of SYT1 in both fathers’ and the offspring’s hippocampus, and as well as in the fathers’ sperm. Finally, paternal spatial training for one week did not improve memory and synaptic plasticity in 3XTg AD F1 offspring. Our findings suggest paternal spatial training for one week benefits the offspring’s cognitive performance in wild-type mice with the mechanisms involving an enhanced transgenerational histone acetylation at SYT1 promoter.
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Laczó J, Markova H, Lobellova V, Gazova I, Parizkova M, Cerman J, Nekovarova T, Vales K, Klovrzova S, Harrison J, Windisch M, Vlcek K, Svoboda J, Hort J, Stuchlik A. Scopolamine disrupts place navigation in rats and humans: a translational validation of the Hidden Goal Task in the Morris water maze and a real maze for humans. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:535-547. [PMID: 27885411 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4488-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Development of new drugs for treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) requires valid paradigms for testing their efficacy and sensitive tests validated in translational research. OBJECTIVES We present validation of a place-navigation task, a Hidden Goal Task (HGT) based on the Morris water maze (MWM), in comparable animal and human protocols. METHODS We used scopolamine to model cognitive dysfunction similar to that seen in AD and donepezil, a symptomatic medication for AD, to assess its potential reversible effect on this scopolamine-induced cognitive dysfunction. We tested the effects of scopolamine and the combination of scopolamine and donepezil on place navigation and compared their effects in human and rat versions of the HGT. Place navigation testing consisted of 4 sessions of HGT performed at baseline, 2, 4, and 8 h after dosing in humans or 1, 2.5, and 5 h in rats. RESULTS Scopolamine worsened performance in both animals and humans. In the animal experiment, co-administration of donepezil alleviated the negative effect of scopolamine. In the human experiment, subjects co-administered with scopolamine and donepezil performed similarly to subjects on placebo and scopolamine, indicating a partial ameliorative effect of donepezil. CONCLUSIONS In the task based on the MWM, scopolamine impaired place navigation, while co-administration of donepezil alleviated this effect in comparable animal and human protocols. Using scopolamine and donepezil to challenge place navigation testing can be studied concurrently in animals and humans and may be a valid and reliable model for translational research, as well as for preclinical and clinical phases of drug trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Laczó
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, V Uvalu 84, 150 06, Prague, Czech Republic. .,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Hana Markova
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, V Uvalu 84, 150 06, Prague, Czech Republic.,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Lobellova
- Department of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ivana Gazova
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, V Uvalu 84, 150 06, Prague, Czech Republic.,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Parizkova
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, V Uvalu 84, 150 06, Prague, Czech Republic.,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Cerman
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, V Uvalu 84, 150 06, Prague, Czech Republic.,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tereza Nekovarova
- Department of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic.,National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Vales
- Department of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic.,National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Sylva Klovrzova
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University in Prague, Akademika Heyrovskeho 1203, 500 05, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - John Harrison
- Metis Cognition Ltd., Park House, Kilmington Common, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 6QY, UK.,Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Manfred Windisch
- NeuroScios GmbH, Willersdorferstrasse 6, A-8061, Radegund/Graz, Austria
| | - Kamil Vlcek
- Department of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Svoboda
- Department of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Hort
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, V Uvalu 84, 150 06, Prague, Czech Republic.,International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ales Stuchlik
- Department of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic.
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Klein AS, Donoso JR, Kempter R, Schmitz D, Beed P. Early Cortical Changes in Gamma Oscillations in Alzheimer's Disease. Front Syst Neurosci 2016; 10:83. [PMID: 27833535 PMCID: PMC5080538 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2016.00083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The entorhinal cortices in the temporal lobe of the brain are key structures relaying memory related information between the neocortex and the hippocampus. The medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) routes spatial information, whereas the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) routes predominantly olfactory information to the hippocampus. Gamma oscillations are known to coordinate information transfer between brain regions by precisely timing population activity of neuronal ensembles. Here, we studied the organization of in vitro gamma oscillations in the MEC and LEC of the transgenic (tg) amyloid precursor protein (APP)-presenilin 1 (PS1) mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) at 4–5 months of age. In vitro gamma oscillations using the kainate model peaked between 30–50 Hz and therefore we analyzed the oscillatory properties in the 20–60 Hz range. Our results indicate that the LEC shows clear alterations in frequency and power of gamma oscillations at an early stage of AD as compared to the MEC. The gamma-frequency oscillation slows down in the LEC and also the gamma power in dorsal LEC is decreased as early as 4–5 months in the tg APP-PS1 mice. The results of this study suggest that the timing of olfactory inputs from LEC to the hippocampus might be affected at an early stage of AD, resulting in a possible erroneous integration of the information carried by the two input pathways to the hippocampal subfields.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - José R Donoso
- Department of Biology, Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt UniversityBerlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational NeuroscienceBerlin, Germany
| | - Richard Kempter
- Department of Biology, Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt UniversityBerlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational NeuroscienceBerlin, Germany
| | - Dietmar Schmitz
- Neuroscience Research Center, Charité UniversityBerlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational NeuroscienceBerlin, Germany; Cluster of Excellence "NeuroCure", Charité UniversityBerlin, Germany; DZNE - German Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesBerlin, Germany; Einstein Foundation BerlinBerlin, Germany
| | - Prateep Beed
- Neuroscience Research Center, Charité UniversityBerlin, Germany; DZNE - German Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesBerlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of HealthBerlin, Germany
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Higa KK, Young JW, Geyer MA. Wet or dry: translatable "water mazes" for mice and humans. J Clin Invest 2016; 126:477-9. [PMID: 26784538 DOI: 10.1172/jci86071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the cognitive and biological characteristics of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are well known and mouse models of AD are available, current treatments for AD-related cognitive deficits have quite limited efficacy. The development of tasks with cross-species validity may enable better prediction of the efficacy of potential new treatments. In this issue of the JCI, Possin et al. present a virtual version of the Morris water maze (a common test of spatial learning and memory for rodents) that is designed for use with humans. The authors tested a mouse model of AD (transgenic mice expressing human amyloid precursor protein [hAPP]) and patients in the earlier mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage of AD in their respective versions of the maze. Using novel statistical methods, they detected similar deficits across species, providing support for the hAPP model and use of the virtual water maze. Importantly, this work enabled recommendations for appropriate sample sizes when developing potential therapeutics for AD.
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Possin KL, Sanchez PE, Anderson-Bergman C, Fernandez R, Kerchner GA, Johnson ET, Davis A, Lo I, Bott NT, Kiely T, Fenesy MC, Miller BL, Kramer JH, Finkbeiner S. Cross-species translation of the Morris maze for Alzheimer's disease. J Clin Invest 2016; 126:779-83. [PMID: 26784542 DOI: 10.1172/jci78464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2015] [Accepted: 12/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Analogous behavioral assays are needed across animal models and human patients to improve translational research. Here, we examined the extent to which performance in the Morris water maze - the most frequently used behavioral assay of spatial learning and memory in rodents - translates to humans. We designed a virtual version of the assay for human subjects that includes the visible-target training, hidden-target learning, and probe trials that are typically administered in the mouse version. We compared transgenic mice that express human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) and patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD) to evaluate the sensitivity of performance measures in detecting deficits. Patients performed normally during visible-target training, while hAPP mice showed procedural learning deficits. In hidden-target learning and probe trials, hAPP mice and MCI-AD patients showed similar deficits in learning and remembering the target location. In addition, we have provided recommendations for selecting performance measures and sample sizes to make these assays sensitive to learning and memory deficits in humans with MCI-AD and in mouse models. Together, our results demonstrate that with careful study design and analysis, the Morris maze is a sensitive assay for detecting AD-relevant impairments across species.
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