| 1. |
- Coomans, Emma M., et al.
(författare)
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In vivo tau pathology is associated with synaptic loss and altered synaptic function
- 2021
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Ingår i: Alzheimer's Research and Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The mechanism of synaptic loss in Alzheimer’s disease is poorly understood and may be associated with tau pathology. In this combined positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) study, we aimed to investigate spatial associations between regional tau pathology ([18F]flortaucipir PET), synaptic density (synaptic vesicle 2A [11C]UCB-J PET) and synaptic function (MEG) in Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: Seven amyloid-positive Alzheimer’s disease subjects from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort underwent dynamic 130-min [18F]flortaucipir PET, dynamic 60-min [11C]UCB-J PET with arterial sampling and 2 × 5-min resting-state MEG measurement. [18F]flortaucipir- and [11C]UCB-J-specific binding (binding potential, BPND) and MEG spectral measures (relative delta, theta and alpha power; broadband power; and peak frequency) were assessed in cortical brain regions of interest. Associations between regional [18F]flortaucipir BPND, [11C]UCB-J BPND and MEG spectral measures were assessed using Spearman correlations and generalized estimating equation models. Results: Across subjects, higher regional [18F]flortaucipir uptake was associated with lower [11C]UCB-J uptake. Within subjects, the association between [11C]UCB-J and [18F]flortaucipir depended on within-subject neocortical tau load; negative associations were observed when neocortical tau load was high, gradually changing into opposite patterns with decreasing neocortical tau burden. Both higher [18F]flortaucipir and lower [11C]UCB-J uptake were associated with altered synaptic function, indicative of slowing of oscillatory activity, most pronounced in the occipital lobe. Conclusions: These results indicate that in Alzheimer’s disease, tau pathology is closely associated with reduced synaptic density and synaptic dysfunction.
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| 3. |
- Juneja, M, et al.
(författare)
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PFN2 and GAMT as common molecular determinants of axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. - : BMJ. - 1468-330X .- 0022-3050. ; 89:8, s. 870-878
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 (CMT2) neuropathy is characterised by a vast clinical and genetic heterogeneity complicating its diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. Identification of molecular signatures that are common to multiple CMT2 subtypes can aid in developing therapeutic strategies and measuring disease outcomes.MethodsA proteomics-based approach was performed on lymphoblasts from CMT2 patients genetically diagnosed with different gene mutations to identify differentially regulated proteins. The candidate proteins were validated through real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting on lymphoblast samples of patients and controls, motor neurons differentiated from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and sciatic nerves of CMT2 mouse models.ResultsProteomic profiling of patient lymphoblasts resulted in the identification of profilin 2 (PFN2) and guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) as commonly downregulated proteins in different genotypes compared with healthy controls. This decrease was also observed at the transcriptional level on screening 43 CMT2 patients and 22 controls, respectively. A progressive decrease in PFN2 expression with age was observed in patients, while in healthy controls its expression increased with age. Reduced PFN2 expression was also observed in motor neurons differentiated from CMT2 patient-derived iPSCs and sciatic nerves of CMT2 mice when compared with controls. However, no change in GAMT levels was observed in motor neurons and CMT2 mouse-derived sciatic nerves.ConclusionsWe unveil PFN2 and GAMT as molecular determinants of CMT2 with possible indications of the role of PFN2 in the pathogenesis and disease progression. This is the first study describing biomarkers that can boost the development of therapeutic strategies targeting a wider spectrum of CMT2 patients.
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| 5. |
- Bentley, Michael J., et al.
(författare)
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A community-based geological reconstruction of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum
- 2014
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Ingår i: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 100, s. 1-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A robust understanding of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglacial history since the Last Glacial Maximum is important in order to constrain ice sheet and glacial-isostatic adjustment models, and to explore the forcing mechanisms responsible for ice sheet retreat. Such understanding can be derived from a broad range of geological and glaciological datasets and recent decades have seen an upsurge in such data gathering around the continent and Sub-Antarctic islands. Here, we report a new synthesis of those datasets, based on an accompanying series of reviews of the geological data, organised by sector. We present a series of timeslice maps for 20 ka, 15 ka, 10 ka and 5 ka, including grounding line position and ice sheet thickness changes, along with a clear assessment of levels of confidence. The reconstruction shows that the Antarctic Ice sheet did not everywhere reach the continental shelf edge at its maximum, that initial retreat was asynchronous, and that the spatial pattern of deglaciation was highly variable, particularly on the inner shelf. The deglacial reconstruction is consistent with a moderate overall excess ice volume and with a relatively small Antarctic contribution to meltwater pulse la. We discuss key areas of uncertainty both around the continent and by time interval, and we highlight potential priorities for future work. The synthesis is intended to be a resource for the modelling and glacial geological community.
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| 6. |
- Coomans, Emma M., et al.
(författare)
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A Head-to-Head Comparison Between Plasma pTau181 and Tau PET Along the Alzheimer’s Disease Continuum
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Nuclear Medicine. - : Society of Nuclear Medicine. - 0161-5505 .- 2159-662X. ; 64:3, s. 437-443
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Both plasma tau phosphorylated at threonine-181 (pTau181) and tau PET show potential for detecting Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology and predicting clinical progression. In this study, we performed a head-to-head comparison between plasma pTau181 and tau PET along the AD continuum. Methods: We included participants from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort who underwent 18F-flortaucipir (tau) PET and had a plasma sample biobanked within 12 mo from tau PET. Fifty subjective cognitive decline (SCD) participants (31 Ab-negative and 19 Ab-positive) and 60 Ab-positive participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia due to AD were included. A subset had 2-y longitudinal plasma pTau181 and tau PET available (n 5 40). Longitudinal neuropsychological test data covering 3.2 6 2.7 y from both before and after tau PET were available. Plasma pTau181 and tau PET were compared in their accuracies in discriminating between cognitive stage (MCI/AD vs. SCD) and preclinical Ab status (SCD Ab-positive vs. SCD Ab-negative), their associations with cross-sectional and longitudinal neuropsychological test performance, and their longitudinal changes over time. Results: When discriminating between preclinical Ab status, the area under the curve (AUC) for plasma pTau181 (0.83) and tau PET (entorhinal, 0.87; temporal, 0.85; neocortical, 0.67) were equally high (all DeLong P . 0.05), but tau PET outperformed plasma pTau181 in discriminating MCI/AD from SCD (AUC for plasma pTau181: 0.74; AUCs for tau PET: entorhinal, 0.89; temporal, 0.92; neocortical, 0.89) (all P, 0.01). Overall, tau PET showed stronger associations with cognitive decline and was associated with a wider variety of cognitive tests than plasma pTau181 (plasma pTau181, 20.02 . b, 20.12; tau PET, 20.01 . b, 20.22). Both plasma pTau181 and tau PET increased more steeply over time in MCI/AD than in SCD (P, 0.05), but only tau PET annual changes were associated with cognitive decline. Conclusion: Our results suggest that plasma pTau181 and tau PET perform equally well in identifying Ab pathology but that tau PET better monitors disease stage and clinical progression.
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| 7. |
- Coomans, Emma M., et al.
(författare)
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Performance of a [18F]Flortaucipir PET Visual Read Method Across the Alzheimer Disease Continuum and in Dementia with Lewy Bodies
- 2023
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Ingår i: Neurology. - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 101:19, s. 1850-1862
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and ObjectivesRecently, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the tau-binding radiotracer [18F]flortaucipir and an accompanying visual read method to support the diagnostic process in cognitively impaired patients assessed for Alzheimer disease (AD). Studies evaluating this visual read method are limited. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the visual read method in participants along the AD continuum and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) by determining its reliability, accordance with semiquantitative analyses, and associations with clinically relevant variables.MethodsWe included participants who underwent tau-PET at Amsterdam University Medical Center. A subset underwent follow-up tau-PET. Two trained nuclear medicine physicians visually assessed all scans. Inter-reader agreement was calculated using Cohen . To examine the concordance of visual read tau positivity with semiquantification, we defined standardized uptake value ratio (SUVr) positivity using different threshold approaches. To evaluate the prognostic value of tau-PET visual read, we performed linear mixed models with longitudinal Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).ResultsWe included 263 participants (mean age 68.5 years, 45.6% female), including 147 cognitively unimpaired (CU) participants, 97 amyloid-positive participants with mild cognitive impairment or AD dementia (AD), and 19 participants with DLB. The visual read inter-reader agreement was excellent ( = 0.95, CI 0.91-0.99). None of the amyloid-negative CU participants (0/92 [0%]) and 1 amyloid-negative participant with DLB (1/12 [8.3%]) were tau-positive. Among amyloid-positive participants, 13 CU participants (13/52 [25.0%]), 85 with AD (85/97 [87.6%]), and 3 with DLB (3/7 [42.9%]) were tau-positive. Two-year follow-up visual read status was identical to baseline. Tau-PET visual read corresponded strongly to SUVr status, with up to 90.4% concordance. Visual read tau positivity was associated with a decline on the MMSE in CU participants (β =-0.52, CI-0.74 to-0.30, p < 0.001) and participants with AD (β =-0.30, CI-0.58 to-0.02, p = 0.04).DiscussionThe excellent inter-reader agreement, strong correspondence with SUVr, and longitudinal stability indicate that the visual read method is reliable and robust, supporting clinical application. Furthermore, visual read tau positivity was associated with prospective cognitive decline, highlighting its additional prognostic potential. Future studies in unselected cohorts are needed for a better generalizability to the clinical population.Classification of EvidenceThis study provides Class II evidence that [18F]flortaucipir visual read accurately distinguishes patients with low tau-Tracer binding from those with high tau-Tracer binding and is associated with amyloid positivity and cognitive decline.
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| 8. |
- Fällmar, David, et al.
(författare)
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Arterial spin labeling-based Z-maps have high specificity and positive predictive value for neurodegenerative dementia compared to FDG-PET.
- 2017
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Ingår i: European Radiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0938-7994 .- 1432-1084. ; 27:10, s. 4237-4246
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Cerebral perfusion analysis based on arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI has been proposed as an alternative to FDG-PET in patients with neurodegenerative disease. Z-maps show normal distribution values relating an image to a database of controls. They are routinely used for FDG-PET to demonstrate disease-specific patterns of hypometabolism at the individual level. This study aimed to compare the performance of Z-maps based on ASL to FDG-PET.METHODS: Data were combined from two separate sites, each cohort consisting of patients with Alzheimer's disease (n = 18 + 7), frontotemporal dementia (n = 12 + 8) and controls (n = 9 + 29). Subjects underwent pseudocontinuous ASL and FDG-PET. Z-maps were created for each subject and modality. Four experienced physicians visually assessed the 166 Z-maps in random order, blinded to modality and diagnosis.RESULTS: Discrimination of patients versus controls using ASL-based Z-maps yielded high specificity (84%) and positive predictive value (80%), but significantly lower sensitivity compared to FDG-PET-based Z-maps (53% vs. 96%, p < 0.001). Among true-positive cases, correct diagnoses were made in 76% (ASL) and 84% (FDG-PET) (p = 0.168).CONCLUSION: ASL-based Z-maps can be used for visual assessment of neurodegenerative dementia with high specificity and positive predictive value, but with inferior sensitivity compared to FDG-PET.KEY POINTS: • ASL-based Z-maps yielded high specificity and positive predictive value in neurodegenerative dementia. • ASL-based Z-maps had significantly lower sensitivity compared to FDG-PET-based Z-maps. • FDG-PET might be reserved for ASL-negative cases where clinical suspicion persists. • Findings were similar at two study sites.
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| 9. |
- Hodgson, Dominic A., et al.
(författare)
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Terrestrial and submarine evidence for the extent and timing of the Last Glacial Maximum and the onset of deglaciation on the maritime-Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands
- 2014
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Ingår i: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791. ; 100, s. 137-158
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper is the maritime and sub Antarctic contribution to the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics (PAIS) community Antarctic Ice Sheet reconstruction. The overarching aim for all sectors of Antarctica was to reconstruct the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ice sheet extent and thickness, and map the subsequent deglaciation in a series of 5000 year time slices. However, our review of the literature found surprisingly few high quality chronological constraints on changing glacier extents on these timescales in the maritime and sub Antarctic sector. Therefore, in this paper we focus on an assessment of the terrestrial and offshore evidence for the LGM ice extent, establishing minimum ages for the onset of deglaciation, and separating evidence of deglaciation from LGM limits from those associated with later Holocene glacier fluctuations. Evidence included geomorphological descriptions of glacial landscapes, radiocarbon dated basal peat and lake sediment deposits, cosmogenic isotope ages of glacial features and molecular biological data. We propose a classification of the glacial history of the maritime and sub Antarctic islands based on this assembled evidence. These include: (Type I) islands which accumulated little or no LGM ice; (Type II) islands with a limited LGM ice extent but evidence of extensive earlier continental shelf glaciations; (Type III) seamounts and volcanoes unlikely to have accumulated significant LGM ice cover; (Type IV) islands on shallow shelves with both terrestrial and submarine evidence of LGM (and/or earlier) ice expansion; (Type V) Islands north of the Antarctic Polar Front with terrestrial evidence of LGM ice expansion; and (Type VI) islands with no data. Finally, we review the climatological and geomorphological settings that separate the glaciological history of the islands within this classification scheme. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 10. |
- Timmers, Tessa, et al.
(författare)
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Amyloid PET and cognitive decline in cognitively normal individuals : the SCIENCe project
- 2019
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Ingår i: Neurobiology of Aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 0197-4580. ; 79, s. 50-58
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We examined the relationships between amyloid-β PET and concurrent and longitudinal cognitive performance in 107 cognitively normal individuals with subjective cognitive decline (age: 64 ± 8 years, 44% female, Mini-Mental State Examination score 29 ± 1). All underwent 90-minute dynamic [ 18 F]florbetapir PET scanning and longitudinal neuropsychological tests with a mean follow-up of 3.4 ± 3.0 years. Receptor parametric mapping was used to calculate [ 18 F]florbetapir binding potential (BP ND ), and we performed linear mixed models to assess the relationships between global [ 18 F]florbetapir BP ND and neuropsychological performance. Higher [ 18 F]florbetapir BP ND was related to lower concurrent Mini-Mental State Examination (β ± SE: −1.69 ± 0.63 p < 0.01) and to steeper rate of decline on tasks capturing memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task immediate [β ± SE −1.81 ± 0.81, p < 0.05] and delayed recall [β ± SE −1.19 ± 0.34, p < 0.01]), attention/executive functions (Stroop II [color] [β ± SE −0.02 ± 0.01, p < 0.05], Stroop III [word-color] [β ± SE −0.03 ± 0.02, p < 0.05]), and language (category fluency [β ± SE −0.04 ± 0.01, p < 0.01]). These findings suggest that higher amyloid-β load in cognitively normal individuals with subjective cognitive decline from a memory clinic is associated with lower concurrent global cognition and with faster rate of decline in a variety of cognitive domains.
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