| 1. |
- Coenen, Mirthe, et al.
(author)
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Spatial distributions of white matter hyperintensities on brain MRI: A pooled analysis of individual participant data from 11 memory clinic cohorts
- 2023
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In: NeuroImage. Clinical. - 2213-1582. ; 40
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: The spatial distribution of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on MRI is often considered in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with cognitive problems. In some patients, clinicians may classify WMH patterns as "unusual", but this is largely based on expert opinion, because detailed quantitative information about WMH distribution frequencies in a memory clinic setting is lacking. Here we report voxel wise 3D WMH distribution frequencies in a large multicenter dataset and also aimed to identify individuals with unusual WMH patterns. METHODS: Individual participant data (N=3525, including 777 participants with subjective cognitive decline, 1389 participants with mild cognitive impairment and 1359 patients with dementia) from eleven memory clinic cohorts, recruited through the Meta VCI Map Consortium, were used. WMH segmentations were provided by participating centers or performed in Utrecht and registered to the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI)-152 brain template for spatial normalization. To determine WMH distribution frequencies, we calculated WMH probability maps at voxel level. To identify individuals with unusual WMH patterns, region-of-interest (ROI) based WMH probability maps, rule-based scores, and a machine learning method (Local Outlier Factor (LOF)), were implemented. RESULTS: WMH occurred in 82% of voxels from the white matter template with large variation between subjects. Only a small proportion of the white matter (1.7%), mainly in the periventricular areas, was affected by WMH in at least 20% of participants. A large portion of the total white matter was affected infrequently. Nevertheless, 93.8% of individual participants had lesions in voxels that were affected in less than 2% of the population, mainly located in subcortical areas. Only the machine learning method effectively identified individuals with unusual patterns, in particular subjects with asymmetric WMH distribution or with WMH at relatively rarely affected locations despite common locations not being affected. DISCUSSION: Aggregating data from several memory clinic cohorts, we provide a detailed 3D map of WMH lesion distribution frequencies, that informs on common as well as rare localizations. The use of data-driven analysis with LOF can be used to identify unusual patterns, which might serve as an alert that rare causes of WMH should be considered.
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| 2. |
- Jansen, Iris E, et al.
(author)
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Genome-wide meta-analysis for Alzheimer's disease cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers.
- 2022
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In: Acta neuropathologica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-0533 .- 0001-6322. ; 144:5, s. 821-842
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ42) and phosphorylated tau (pTau) levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) reflect core features of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) more directly than clinical diagnosis. Initiated by the European Alzheimer & Dementia Biobank (EADB), the largest collaborative effort on genetics underlying CSF biomarkers was established, including 31 cohorts with a total of 13,116 individuals (discovery n=8074; replication n=5042 individuals). Besides the APOE locus, novel associations with two other well-established AD risk loci were observed; CR1 was shown a locus for Aβ42 and BIN1 for pTau. GMNC and C16orf95 were further identified as loci for pTau, of which the latter is novel. Clustering methods exploring the influence of all known AD risk loci on the CSF protein levels, revealed 4 biological categories suggesting multiple Aβ42 and pTau related biological pathways involved in the etiology of AD. In functional follow-up analyses, GMNC and C16orf95 both associated with lateral ventricular volume, implying an overlap in genetic etiology for tau levels and brain ventricular volume.
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| 3. |
- Eikelboom, Willem S., et al.
(author)
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Early recognition and treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms to improve quality of life in early Alzheimer's disease : Protocol of the BEAT-IT study
- 2019
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In: Alzheimer's Research and Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are very common in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia and are associated with various disadvantageous clinical outcomes including a negative impact on quality of life, caregiver burden, and accelerated disease progression. Despite growing evidence of the efficacy of (non)pharmacological interventions to reduce these symptoms, NPS remain underrecognized and undertreated in memory clinics. The BEhavioural symptoms in Alzheimer's disease Towards early Identification and Treatment (BEAT-IT) study is developed to (1) investigate the neurobiological etiology of NPS in AD and (2) study the effectiveness of the Describe, Investigate, Create, Evaluate (DICE) approach to structure and standardize the current care of NPS in AD. By means of the DICE method, we aim to improve the quality of life of AD patients with NPS and their caregivers who visit the memory clinic. This paper describes the protocol for the intervention study that incorporates the latter aim. Methods: We aim to enroll a total of 150 community-dwelling patients with MCI or AD and their caregivers in two waves. First, we will recruit a control group who will receive care as usual. Next, the second wave of participants will undergo the DICE method. This approach consists of the following steps: (1) describe the context in which NPS occur, (2) investigate the possible causes, (3) create and implement a treatment plan, and (4) evaluate whether these interventions are effective. Primary outcomes are the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. Secondary outcomes include NPS change, caregiver burden, caregivers' confidence managing NPS, psychotropic medication use, the experiences of patients and caregivers who underwent the DICE method, and the cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Conclusions: This paper describes the protocol of an intervention study that is part of the BEAT-IT study and aims to improve current recognition and treatment of NPS in AD by structuring and standardizing the detection and treatment of NPS in AD using the DICE approach. Trial registration: The trial was registered on the Netherlands Trial Registry (NTR7459); registered 6 September 2018.
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| 4. |
- Eikelboom, Willem S., et al.
(author)
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Effects of the DICE Method to Improve Timely Recognition and Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Early Alzheimer's Disease at the Memory Clinic : The BEAT-IT Study
- 2023
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In: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - 1387-2877. ; 93:4, s. 1407-1423
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are highly prevalent in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and are associated with negative outcomes. However, NPS are currently underrecognized at the memory clinic and non-pharmacological interventions are scarcely implemented. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Describe, Investigate, Create, Evaluate (DICE) method™ to improve the care for NPS in AD at the memory clinic. Methods: We enrolled sixty community-dwelling people with mild cognitive impairment or AD dementia and NPS across six Dutch memory clinics with their caregivers. The first wave underwent care as usual (n = 36) and the second wave underwent the DICE method (n = 24). Outcomes were quality of life (QoL), caregiver burden, NPS severity, NPS-related distress, competence managing NPS, and psychotropic drug use. Reliable change index was calculated to identify responders to the intervention. A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed and semi-structured interviews with a subsample of the intervention group (n = 12). Results: The DICE method did not improve any outcomes over time compared to care as usual. Half of the participants of the intervention group (52%) were identified as responders and showed more NPS and NPS-related distress at baseline compared to non-responders. Interviews revealed substantial heterogeneity among participants regarding NPS-related distress, caregiver burden, and availability of social support. The intervention did not lead to significant gains in quality-adjusted life years and well-being years nor clear savings in health care and societal costs. Conclusion: The DICE method showed no benefits at group-level, but individuals with high levels of NPS and NPS-related distress may benefit from this intervention.
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| 5. |
- Eikelboom, Willem S., et al.
(author)
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Evaluating the DICE method to improve early recognition and treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in early Alzheimer’s disease
- 2022
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In: Alzheimer's and Dementia. - : Wiley. - 1552-5260 .- 1552-5279. ; 18:S8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: While neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are common in early Alzheimer’s disease (AD), they are currently underdiagnosed and undertreated in the memory clinic. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of the Describe, Investigate, Create, Evaluate (DICE™) approach to structure and standardize the care for NPS in AD in the memory clinic. Method: A total of 60 community-dwelling patients with MCI, AD dementia, or AD/VaD dementia were enrolled with their caregivers in two waves (Table-1). The first wave (n = 36) received care as usual and served as a control group, while the second wave of patients (n = 24, of which n = 20 have currently completed the study) underwent the DICE method. We applied the DICE method during two visits in which NPS were assessed, underlying causes were examined, and patients and caregivers were instructed on management strategies to deal with NPS, which were evaluated after one month. Outcomes were assessed after three and six months. Primary outcomes were quality of life of patients (QoL-AD) and caregivers (Carerqol-7D). Secondary outcomes included caregiver burden (Perseverance time), NPS prevalence and severity (NPI-Q & BEHAVE-AD), NPS-related distress (NPI-Q), competence managing NPS (additional NPI-Q item), and psychotropic drug use. We used linear mixed models to examine differences in outcomes at group-level and reliable change index to examine which participants in the intervention group showed reliable improvement in the primary outcomes. Result: We found no significant differences between the two groups in change in quality of life or any of the secondary outcomes (all p>0.05, Table-2). A proportion of the intervention group showed reliable improvement in quality of life of patients (n = 6/20) and caregivers (n = 7/20). At baseline, these patients tended to show higher NPS burden and their caregivers reported more NPS-related distress and lower feelings of competence while managing NPS compared to participants that did no show reliable improvement. Conclusion: This Stage 2 efficacy study shows no benefits of the DICE method on in early AD at group-level, but suggest that particular participants might benefit from this approach. Data will be re-analyzed when all intervention group participants have completed the study and will be extended with qualitative data investigating NPS-related knowledge and management styles of participants.
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| 6. |
- Eikelboom, Willem S., et al.
(author)
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Neuropsychiatric and Cognitive Symptoms Across the Alzheimer Disease Clinical Spectrum: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Associations
- 2021
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In: Neurology. - 1526-632X. ; 97:13, s. 1276-1287
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence and trajectories of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in relation to cognitive functioning in a cohort of β-amyloid-positive (A+) individuals across the Alzheimer disease (AD) clinical spectrum. METHODS: In this single-center observational study, we included all individuals who visited the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam and had a clinical diagnosis of subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or probable AD dementia and were A+. We measured NPS with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), examining total scores and the presence of specific NPI domains. Cognition was assessed across 5 cognitive domains and with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). We examined trajectories including model-based trends for NPS and cognitive functioning over time. We used linear mixed models to relate baseline NPI scores to cognitive functioning at baseline (whole-sample) and longitudinal time points (subsample n = 520, mean 1.8 [SD 0.7] years follow-up). RESULTS: We included 1,524 A+ individuals from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort with A+ SCD (n = 113), A+ MCI (n = 321), or A+ AD dementia (n = 1,090). NPS were prevalent across all clinical AD stages (≥1 NPS 81.4% in SCD, 81.2% in MCI, 88.7% in dementia; ≥1 clinically relevant NPS 54.0% in SCD, 50.5% in MCI, 66.0% in dementia). Cognitive functioning showed a uniform gradual decline; while in contrast, large intraindividual heterogeneity of NPS was observed over time across all AD groups. At baseline, we found associations between NPS and cognition in dementia that were most pronounced for NPI total scores and MMSE (range β = -0.18 to -0.11, false discovery rate [FDR]-adjusted p < 0.05), while there were no cross-sectional relationships in SCD and MCI (range β = -0.32 to 0.36, all FDR-adjusted p > 0.05). There were no associations between baseline NPS and cognitive functioning over time in any clinical stage (range β = -0.13 to 0.44, all FDR-adjusted p > 0.05). DISCUSSION: NPS and cognitive symptoms are both prevalent across the AD clinical spectrum, but show a different evolution during the course of the disease.
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| 7. |
- Singleton, Ellen H., et al.
(author)
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Social cognition deficits and biometric signatures in the behavioural variant of Alzheimer’s disease
- 2023
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In: Brain. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-8950 .- 1460-2156. ; 146:5, s. 2163-2174
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The behavioural variant of Alzheimer’s disease (bvAD) is characterized by early predominant behavioural changes, mimicking the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), which is characterized by social cognition deficits and altered biometric responses to socioemotional cues. These functions remain understudied in bvAD. We investigated multiple social cognition components (i.e. emotion recognition, empathy, social norms and moral reasoning), using the Ekman 60 faces test, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, empathy eliciting videos, Social Norms Questionnaire and moral dilemmas, while measuring eye movements and galvanic skin response. We compared 12 patients with bvAD with patients with bvFTD (n = 14), typical Alzheimer’s disease (tAD, n = 13) and individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD, n = 13), using ANCOVAs and age- and sex-adjusted post hoc testing. Patients with bvAD (40.1 ± 8.6) showed lower scores on the Ekman 60 faces test compared to individuals with SCD (49.7 ± 5.0, P < 0.001), and patients with tAD (46.2 ± 5.3, P = 0.05) and higher scores compared to patients with bvFTD (32.4 ± 7.3, P = 0.002). Eye-tracking during the Ekman 60 faces test revealed no differences in dwell time on the eyes (all P > 0.05), but patients with bvAD (18.7 ± 9.5%) and bvFTD (19.4 ± 14.3%) spent significantly less dwell time on the mouth than individuals with SCD (30.7 ± 11.6%, P < 0.01) and patients with tAD (32.7 ± 12.1%, P < 0.01). Patients with bvAD (11.3 ± 4.6) exhibited lower scores on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index compared with individuals with SCD (15.6 ± 3.1, P = 0.05) and similar scores to patients with bvFTD (8.7 ± 5.6, P = 0.19) and tAD (13.0 ± 3.2, P = 0.43). The galvanic skin response to empathy eliciting videos did not differ between groups (all P > 0.05). Patients with bvAD (16.0 ± 1.6) and bvFTD (15.2 ± 2.2) showed lower scores on the Social Norms Questionnaire than patients with tAD (17.8 ± 2.1, P < 0.05) and individuals with SCD (18.3 ± 1.4, P < 0.05). No group differences were observed in scores on moral dilemmas (all P > 0.05), while only patients with bvFTD (0.9 ± 1.1) showed a lower galvanic skin response during personal dilemmas compared with SCD (3.4 ± 3.3 peaks per min, P = 0.01). Concluding, patients with bvAD showed a similar although milder social cognition profile and a similar eye-tracking signature to patients with bvFTD and greater social cognition impairments and divergent eye movement patterns compared with patients with tAD. Our results suggest reduced attention to salient facial features in these phenotypes, potentially contributing to their emotion recognition deficits.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Eikelboom, Willem S., et al.
(author)
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The reporting of neuropsychiatric symptoms in electronic health records of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease : a natural language processing study
- 2023
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In: Alzheimer's Research and Therapy. - 1758-9193. ; 15:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are prevalent in the early clinical stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) according to proxy-based instruments. Little is known about which NPS clinicians report and whether their judgment aligns with proxy-based instruments. We used natural language processing (NLP) to classify NPS in electronic health records (EHRs) to estimate the reporting of NPS in symptomatic AD at the memory clinic according to clinicians. Next, we compared NPS as reported in EHRs and NPS reported by caregivers on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Methods: Two academic memory clinic cohorts were used: the Amsterdam UMC (n = 3001) and the Erasmus MC (n = 646). Patients included in these cohorts had MCI, AD dementia, or mixed AD/VaD dementia. Ten trained clinicians annotated 13 types of NPS in a randomly selected training set of n = 500 EHRs from the Amsterdam UMC cohort and in a test set of n = 250 EHRs from the Erasmus MC cohort. For each NPS, a generalized linear classifier was trained and internally and externally validated. Prevalence estimates of NPS were adjusted for the imperfect sensitivity and specificity of each classifier. Intra-individual comparison of the NPS classified in EHRs and NPS reported on the NPI were conducted in a subsample (59%). Results: Internal validation performance of the classifiers was excellent (AUC range: 0.81–0.91), but external validation performance decreased (AUC range: 0.51–0.93). NPS were prevalent in EHRs from the Amsterdam UMC, especially apathy (adjusted prevalence = 69.4%), anxiety (adjusted prevalence = 53.7%), aberrant motor behavior (adjusted prevalence = 47.5%), irritability (adjusted prevalence = 42.6%), and depression (adjusted prevalence = 38.5%). The ranking of NPS was similar for EHRs from the Erasmus MC, although not all classifiers obtained valid prevalence estimates due to low specificity. In both cohorts, there was minimal agreement between NPS classified in the EHRs and NPS reported on the NPI (all kappa coefficients < 0.28), with substantially more reports of NPS in EHRs than on NPI assessments. Conclusions: NLP classifiers performed well in detecting a wide range of NPS in EHRs of patients with symptomatic AD visiting the memory clinic and showed that clinicians frequently reported NPS in these EHRs. Clinicians generally reported more NPS in EHRs than caregivers reported on the NPI.
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| 10. |
- Meeter, Lieke H.H., et al.
(author)
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Clinical value of cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light chain in semantic dementia
- 2019
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In: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. - : BMJ. - 0022-3050 .- 1468-330X. ; 90:9, s. 997-1004
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Semantic dementia (SD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by progressive language problems falling within the clinicopathological spectrum of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The development of disease-modifying agents may be facilitated by the relative clinical and pathological homogeneity of SD, but we need robust monitoring biomarkers to measure their efficacy. In different FTLD subtypes, neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a promising marker, therefore we investigated the utility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) NfL in SD. Methods: This large retrospective multicentre study compared cross-sectional CSF NfL levels of 162 patients with SD with 65 controls. CSF NfL levels of patients were correlated with clinical parameters (including survival), neuropsychological test scores and regional grey matter atrophy (including longitudinal data in a subset). Results: CSF NfL levels were significantly higher in patients with SD (median: 2326 pg/mL, IQR: 1628-3593) than in controls (577 (446-766), p<0.001). Higher CSF NfL levels were moderately associated with naming impairment as measured by the Boston Naming Test (rs=-0.32, p=0.002) and with smaller grey matter volume of the parahippocampal gyri (rs=-0.31, p=0.004). However, cross-sectional CSF NfL levels were not associated with progression of grey matter atrophy and did not predict survival. Conclusion: CSF NfL is a promising biomarker in the diagnostic process of SD, although it has limited cross-sectional monitoring or prognostic abilities.
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