Prediction of cognitive decline in healthy aging based on neuropsychiatric symptoms and PET-biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease

Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) have been associated with a risk of accelerated cognitive decline or conversion to dementia of the Alzheimer's Disease (AD) type. Moreover, the NPS were also associated with higher AD biomarkers (brain tau and amyloid burden) even in non-demented patients. But the effect of the relationship between NPS and biomarkers on cognitive decline has not yet been studied. This work aims to assess the relationship between longitudinal cognitive changes and NPS, specifically depression and anxiety, in association with AD biomarkers in healthy middle-aged to older participants. The cohort consisted of 101 healthy participants aged 50-70 years, 66 of whom had neuropsychological assessments of memory, executive functions, and global cognition at a 2-year follow-up. At baseline, NPS were assessed using the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories while brain tau and amyloid loads were measured using positron emission topography. For tau burden, THK5351 uptake is used as a proxy of tau and neuroinflammation. Participants, declining or remaining stable at follow-up, were categorized into groups for each cognitive domain. Group classification was investigated using binary logistic regressions based on combined AD biomarkers and the two NPS. The results showed that an association between anxiety and prefrontal amyloid burden significantly classified episodic memory decline, while the classification of global cognitive decline involved temporal and occipital amyloid burden but not NPS. Moreover, depression together with prefrontal and hippocampal tau burden were associated with a decline in memory. The classification of participants based on executive decline was related to depression and mainly prefrontal tau burden. These findings suggest that the combination of NPS and brain biomarkers of AD predicts the occurrence of cognitive decline in aging.

Effort during prolonged wakefulness is associated with performance to attentional and executive tasks but not with cortical excitability in late-middle-aged healthy individuals

OBJECTIVE

Sleep loss negatively affects brain function with repercussion not only on objective measures of performance but also on many subjective dimensions, including effort perceived for the completion of cognitive processes. This may be particularly important in aging, which is accompanied by important changes in sleep and wakefulness regulation. We aimed to determine whether subjectively perceived effort covaried with cognitive performance in healthy late-middle-aged individuals.

METHOD

We assessed effort and performance to cognitive tasks in 99 healthy adults (66 women; 50-70 years) during a 20-hr wake extension protocol, following 7 days of regular sleep and wake times and a baseline night of sleep in the laboratory. We further explored links with cortical excitability using transcranial magnetic stimulation coupled to electroencephalography.

RESULTS

Perceived effort increased during wake extension and was highly correlated to subjective metrics of sleepiness, fatigue, and motivation, but not to variations in cortical excitability. Moreover, effort increase was associated with decreased performance to some cognitive tasks (psychomotor vigilance and two-back working memory task). Importantly, effort variations during wakefulness extension decreased from age 50 to 70 years, while more effort is associated with worse performance in older individuals.

CONCLUSION

In healthy late-middle-aged individuals, more effort is perceived to perform cognitive tasks, but it is not sufficient to overcome the performance decline brought by lack of sleep. Entry in the seventh decade may stand as a turning point in the daily variations of perceived effort and its link with cognition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Frontal grey matter microstructure is associated with sleep slow waves characteristics in late midlife

STUDY OBJECTIVES

The ability to generate slow waves (SW) during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep decreases as early as the 5th decade of life, predominantly over frontal regions. This decrease may concern prominently SW characterized by a fast switch from hyperpolarized to depolarized, or down-to-up, state. Yet, the relationship between these fast and slow switcher SW and cerebral microstructure in ageing is not established.

METHODS

We recorded habitual sleep under EEG in 99 healthy late midlife individuals (mean age = 59.3 ± 5.3 years; 68 women) and extracted SW parameters (density, amplitude, frequency) for all SW as well as according to their switcher type (slow vs. fast). We further used neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) to assess microstructural integrity over a frontal grey matter region of interest (ROI).

RESULTS

In statistical models adjusted for age, sex, and sleep duration, we found that a lower SW density, particularly for fast switcher SW, was associated with a reduced orientation dispersion of neurites in the frontal ROI (p = 0.018, R2β* = 0.06). In addition, overall SW frequency was positively associated with neurite density (p = 0.03, R2β* = 0.05). By contrast, we found no significant relationships between SW amplitude and NODDI metrics.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the complexity of neurite organization contributes specifically to the rate of fast switcher SW occurrence in healthy middle-aged individuals, corroborating slow and fast switcher SW as distinct types of SW. They further suggest that the density of frontal neurites plays a key role for neural synchronization during sleep.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

EudraCT 2016-001436-35.

Timely coupling of sleep spindles and slow waves is linked to early amyloid-β burden and predicts memory decline

Sleep alteration is a hallmark of ageing and emerges as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While the fine-tuned coalescence of sleep microstructure elements may influence age-related cognitive trajectories, its association with AD processes is not fully established. Here, we investigated whether the coupling of spindles and slow waves (SW) is associated with early amyloid-β (Aβ) brain burden, a hallmark of AD neuropathology, and cognitive change over 2 years in 100 healthy individuals in late-midlife (50–70 years; 68 women). We found that, in contrast to other sleep metrics, earlier occurrence of spindles on slow-depolarisation SW is associated with higher medial prefrontal cortex Aβ burden (p=0.014, r²_β*=0.06) and is predictive of greater longitudinal memory decline in a large subsample (p=0.032, r²_β*=0.07, N=66). These findings unravel early links between sleep, AD-related processes, and cognition and suggest that altered coupling of sleep microstructure elements, key to its mnesic function, contributes to poorer brain and cognitive trajectories in ageing.

ENIGMA-Sleep: Challenges, opportunities, and the road map

Neuroimaging and genetics studies have advanced our understanding of the neurobiology of sleep and its disorders. However, individual studies usually have limitations to identifying consistent and reproducible effects, including modest sample sizes, heterogeneous clinical characteristics and varied methodologies. These issues call for a large-scale multi-centre effort in sleep research, in order to increase the number of samples, and harmonize the methods of data collection, preprocessing and analysis using pre-registered well-established protocols. The Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) consortium provides a powerful collaborative framework for combining datasets across individual sites. Recently, we have launched the ENIGMA-Sleep working group with the collaboration of several institutes from 15 countries to perform large-scale worldwide neuroimaging and genetics studies for better understanding the neurobiology of impaired sleep quality in population-based healthy individuals, the neural consequences of sleep deprivation, pathophysiology of sleep disorders, as well as neural correlates of sleep disturbances across various neuropsychiatric disorders. In this introductory review, we describe the details of our currently available datasets and our ongoing projects in the ENIGMA-Sleep group, and discuss both the potential challenges and opportunities of a collaborative initiative in sleep medicine.

Heterogeneity in the links between sleep arousals, amyloid-beta and cognition

BACKGROUND

Tight relationships between sleep quality, cognition, and amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) neuropathology, have been shown. Sleep arousals become more prevalent with aging and are considered to reflect poorer sleep quality. However, heterogeneity in arousals has been suggested while their associations with Aβ and cognition are not established.

METHODS

We recorded undisturbed night-time sleep with EEG in 101 healthy individuals aged 50–70 years, devoid of cognitive and sleep disorders. We classified spontaneous arousals according to their association with muscular tone increase (M+/M–) and sleep stage transition (T+/T–). We assessed cortical Aβ burden over earliest affected regions via PET imaging and assessed cognition via neuropsychological testing.

RESULTS

Arousal types differed in their oscillatory composition in θ (4–8 Hz) and β (16–30 Hz) EEG bands. Furthermore, T+M– arousals, interrupting sleep continuity, were positively linked to Aβ burden (P = 0.0053, R²_β* = 0.08). By contrast, more prevalent T–M+ arousals, upholding sleep continuity, were associated with lower Aβ burden (P = 0.0003, R²_β* = 0.13), and better cognition, particularly over the attentional domain (P < 0.05, R²_β* ≥ 0.04).

CONCLUSION

Contrasting with what is commonly accepted, we provide empirical evidence that arousals are diverse and differently associated with early AD-related neuropathology and cognition. This suggests that sleep arousals, and their coalescence with other brain oscillations during sleep, may actively contribute to the beneficial functions of sleep and constitute markers of favorable brain and cognitive health trajectories.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

EudraCT 2016-001436-35.

FUNDING

FRS-FNRS Belgium (FRSM 3.4516.11), Actions de Recherche Concertées Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (SLEEPDEM 17/27-09), ULiège, and European Regional Development Fund (Radiomed Project).

Associations Between Cognitive Complaints, Memory Performance, Mood, and Amyloid-β Accumulation in Healthy Amyloid Negative Late-Midlife Individuals

BACKGROUND

Cognitive complaints are gaining more attention as they may represent an early marker of increased risk for AD in individuals without objective decline at standard neuropsychological examination.

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to assess whether cognitive complaints in late middle-aged individuals not seeking medical help are related to objective cognitive outcomes known as early markers for AD risk, concomitant affective state, and amyloid-β (Aβ) burden.

METHODS

Eighty-seven community-based cognitively normal individuals aged 50-69 years underwent neuropsychological assessment for global cognition, using Preclinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite 5 (PACC5) score, and a more specific episodic memory measure. Affective state was based on self-assessment questionnaires for depression and anxiety. Aβ PET burden was assessed via [18F]Flutemetamol (N = 84) and [18F]Florbetapir (N = 3) uptake. Cognitive complaints were evaluated using Cognitive Difficulties Scale.

RESULTS

Higher cognitive complaints were significantly associated with lower episodic memory performance and worse affective state. Moreover, higher level of cognitive complaints was related to higher (but still sub-clinical) global Aβ accumulation (at uncorrected significance level). Importantly, all three aspects remained significant when taken together in the same statistical model, indicating that they explained distinct parts of variance.

CONCLUSION

In healthy Aβ negative late middle-aged individuals, a higher degree of cognitive complaints is associated with lower episodic memory efficiency, more anxiety and depression, as well as, potentially, with higher Aβ burden, suggesting that complaints might signal subtle decline. Future studies should untangle how cognitive complaints in healthy aging populations are related to longitudinal changes in objective cognition and AD biomarker correlates.

Increased cortical excitability but stable effective connectivity index during attentional lapses

Modern lifestyle curtails sleep and increases nighttime work and leisure activities. This has a deleterious impact on vigilance and attention, exacerbating chances of committing attentional lapses, with potential dramatic outcomes. Here, we investigated the brain signature of attentional lapses and assessed whether cortical excitability and brain response propagation were modified during lapses and whether these modifications changed with aging. We compared electroencephalogram (EEG) responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) during lapse and no-lapse periods while performing a continuous attentional/vigilance task at night, after usual bedtime. Data were collected in healthy younger (N = 12; 18-30 years) and older individuals (N = 12; 50-70 years) of both sexes. The amplitude and slope of the first component of the TMS-evoked potential were larger during lapses. In contrast, TMS response scattering over the cortical surface, as well as EEG response complexity, did not significantly vary between lapse and no-lapse periods. Importantly, despite qualitative differences, age did not significantly affect any of the TMS-EEG measures. These results demonstrate that attentional lapses are associated with a transient increase of cortical excitability. This initial change is not associated with detectable changes in subsequent effective connectivity-as indexed by response propagation-and are not markedly different between younger and older adults. These findings could contribute to develop models aimed to predicting and preventing lapses in real-life situations.

Positive Effect of Cognitive Reserve on Episodic Memory, Executive and Attentional Functions Taking Into Account Amyloid-Beta, Tau, and Apolipoprotein E Status

Studies exploring the simultaneous influence of several physiological and environmental factors on domain-specific cognition in late middle-age remain scarce. Therefore, our objective was to determine the respective contribution of modifiable risk/protective factors (cognitive reserve and allostatic load) on specific cognitive domains (episodic memory, executive functions, and attention), taking into account non-modifiable factors [sex, age, and genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD)] and AD-related biomarker amount (amyloid-beta and tau/neuroinflammation) in a healthy late-middle-aged population. One hundred and one healthy participants (59.4 ± 5 years; 68 women) were evaluated for episodic memory, executive and attentional functioning via neuropsychological test battery. Cognitive reserve was determined by the National Adult Reading Test. The allostatic load consisted of measures of lipid metabolism and sympathetic nervous system functioning. The amyloid-beta level was assessed using positron emission tomography in all participants, whereas tau/neuroinflammation positron emission tomography scans and apolipoprotein E genotype were available for 58 participants. Higher cognitive reserve was the main correlate of better cognitive performance across all domains. Moreover, age was negatively associated with attentional functioning, whereas sex was a significant predictor for episodic memory, with women having better performance than men. Finally, our results did not show clear significant associations between performance over any cognitive domain and apolipoprotein E genotype and AD biomarkers. This suggests that domain-specific cognition in late healthy midlife is mainly determined by a combination of modifiable (cognitive reserve) and non-modifiable factors (sex and age) rather than by AD biomarkers and genetic risk for AD.

Author Correction: Preserved wake-dependent cortical excitability dynamics predict cognitive fitness beyond age-related brain alterations

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-01995-5

Early brainstem [18F]THK5351 uptake is linked to cortical hyperexcitability in healthy aging

BACKGROUND

Neuronal hyperexcitability characterizes the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In animals, early misfolded tau and amyloid-β (Aβ) protein accumulation — both central to AD neuropathology — promote cortical excitability and neuronal network dysfunction. In healthy humans, misfolded tau and Aβ aggregates are first detected, respectively, in the brainstem and frontomedial and temporobasal cortices, decades prior to the onset of AD cognitive symptoms. Whether cortical excitability is related to early brainstem tau — and its associated neuroinflammation — and cortical Aβ aggregations remains unknown.

METHODS

We probed frontal cortex excitability, using transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with electroencephalography, in a sample of 64 healthy late-middle–aged individuals (50–69 years; 45 women and 19 men). We assessed whole-brain ^[18F]THK5351 PET uptake as a proxy measure of tau/neuroinflammation, and we assessed whole-brain Aβ burden with ^[18F]Flutemetamol or ^[18F]Florbetapir radiotracers.

RESULTS

We found that higher ^[18F]THK5351 uptake in a brainstem monoaminergic compartment was associated with increased cortical excitability (r = 0.29, P = 0.02). By contrast, ^[18F]THK5351 PET signal in the hippocampal formation, although strongly correlated with brainstem signal in whole-brain voxel-based quantification analyses (P value corrected for family-wise error [P_{FWE-corrected}] < 0.001), was not significantly associated with cortical excitability (r = 0.14, P = 0.25). Importantly, no significant association was found between early Aβ cortical deposits and cortical excitability (r = –0.20, P = 0.11).

CONCLUSION

These findings reveal potential brain substrates for increased cortical excitability in preclinical AD and may constitute functional in vivo correlates of early brainstem tau accumulation and neuroinflammation in humans.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

EudraCT 2016-001436-35.

FUNDING

F.R.S.-FNRS Belgium, Wallonie-Bruxelles International, ULiège, Fondation Simone et Pierre Clerdent, European Regional Development Fund.

Relationship between brain AD biomarkers and episodic memory performance in healthy aging

The presence of brain biomarkers can be observed decades before the first clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We aimed to determine whether associations between biomarkers and episodic memory performance already exist in a healthy late middle-aged population or only in participants over 60 years old. Performance at the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test [FCSRT], the Logical Memory test and the Mnemonic Similarity Task [MST] was determined in sixty healthy participants (50-70 y.) with a negative status for amyloid-beta (Aβ) biomarker. We assessed Aβ cortical level and tau/neuroinflammation burden using PET scanner, and hippocampal atrophy with MRI scanner. Generalized linear mixed models showed that MST scores (recognition and pattern separation) were positively associated with hippocampal volume in participants over 60 years. No association between memory performance and Aβ and tau/neuroinflammation burden was found in the older or in the younger age group. This suggests that visual recognition memory and discrimination of lures may constitute early cognitive markers of memory decline in an older population.

Sleep-wake regulation and the hallmarks of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease

While efficient treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) remain elusive, a growing body of research has highlighted sleep-wake regulation as a potential modifiable factor to delay disease progression. Evidence accumulated in recent years is pointing toward a tight link between sleep-wake disruption and the three main hallmarks of the pathogenesis of AD, i.e. abnormal amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau proteins accumulation, and neurodegeneration. However, all three hallmarks are rarely considered together in the same study. In this review, we gather and discuss findings in favor of an association between sleep-wake disruption and each AD hallmark in animal models and in humans, with a focus on the preclinical stages of the disease. We emphasize that these relationships are likely bidirectional for each of these hallmarks. Altogether, current findings provide strong support for considering sleep-wake disruption as a true risk factor in the early unfolding of AD, but more research integrating recent technical advances is needed, particularly with respect to tau protein and neurodegeneration. Interventional longitudinal studies among cognitively healthy older individuals should assess the practical use of improving sleep-wake regulation to slow down the progression of AD pathogenesis.

Preserved wake-dependent cortical excitability dynamics predict cognitive fitness beyond age-related brain alterations

Age-related cognitive decline arises from alterations in brain structure as well as in sleep-wake regulation. Here, we investigated whether preserved wake-dependent regulation of cortical function could represent a positive factor for cognitive fitness in aging. We quantified cortical excitability dynamics during prolonged wakefulness as a sensitive marker of age-related alteration in sleep-wake regulation in 60 healthy older individuals (50-69 y; 42 women). Brain structural integrity was assessed with amyloid-beta- and tau-PET, and with MRI. Participants' cognition was investigated using an extensive neuropsychological task battery. We show that individuals with preserved wake-dependent cortical excitability dynamics exhibit better cognitive performance, particularly in the executive domain which is essential to successful cognitive aging. Critically, this association remained significant after accounting for brain structural integrity measures. Preserved dynamics of basic brain function during wakefulness could therefore be essential to cognitive fitness in aging, independently from age-related brain structural modifications that can ultimately lead to dementia.