| 1. |
- Herukka, Sanna-Kaisa, et al.
(author)
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Amyloid-beta and Tau Dynamics in Human Brain Interstitial Fluid in Patients with Suspected Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
- 2015
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In: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 46:1, s. 261-269
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Amyloid-beta (A beta(1-42)), total tau (T-tau), and phosphorylated tau (P-tau(181)) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are the most promising biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Still, little is known about the dynamics of these molecules in the living brain. In a transgenic mouse brain, soluble A beta decreases with increasing age and advanced A beta pathology as seen similarly in CSF. Objective: To assess the relationship between AD-related pathological changes in human brain tissue, ventricular and lumbar CSF, and brain interstitial fluid (ISF). Methods: Altogether 11 patients with suspected idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus underwent frontal cortical brain biopsy, 24-h intraventricular pressure monitoring, and a microdialysis procedure. AD-related biomarkers were analyzed from brain tissue, CSF, and ISF. Results: ISF T-tau levels decreased strongly within the first 12 h, then plateauing until the end of the experiment. A beta(1-42) and P-tau(181) remained stable during the experiment (n = 3). T-tau and P-tau were higher in the ISF than in ventricular or lumbar CSF, while A beta(1-42) levels were within similar range in both CSF and ISF samples. ISF P-tau correlated with the ventricular CSF T-tau (r = 0.70, p = 0.017) and P-tau(181) (r = 0.64, p = 0.034). Five patients with amyloid pathology in the brain biopsy tended to reveal lower ISF A beta(1-42) levels than those six without amyloid pathology. Conclusions: This is the first study to report ISF A beta and tau levels in the human brain without significant brain injury. The set-up used enables sampling from the brain ISF for at least 24 h without causing adverse effects due to the microdialysis procedure to follow the dynamics of the key molecules in AD pathogenesis in the living brain at various stages of the disease.
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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. |
- Koivisto, Anne M., et al.
(author)
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High Risk of Dementia in Ventricular Enlargement with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Related Symptoms
- 2016
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In: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 52:2, s. 497-507
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Differential diagnosis of ventricular enlargement with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) related symptoms is challenging. Patients with enlarged ventricles often manifest cognitive deterioration but their long-term outcome is not well known. Objectives: We aim to evaluate long-term cognitive outcome in patients with enlarged ventricles and clinically suspected NPH. Methods: A neurologist and a neurosurgeon clinically evaluated 468 patients with enlarged ventricles and suspected NPH using radiological methods, intraventricular pressure monitoring, and frontal cortical brain biopsy. The neurologist confirmed final diagnoses after a median follow-up interval of 4.8 years. Results: Altogether, 232 patients (50%) with enlarged ventricles did not fulfill the criteria for shunt surgery. The incidence of dementia among patients with enlarged ventricles, and at least one NPH-related symptom with adequate follow-up data (n = 446) was high, varying from 77 (iNPH, shunt responders) to 141/1000 person-years (non-shunted patients with enlarged ventricles). At the end of the follow-up, 59% of all these patients were demented. The demented population comprised 73% of non-shunted patients with enlarged ventricles, 63% of shunted iNPH patients that did not respond to treatment, and 46% of iNPH patients that were initially responsive to shunting. The most common cause of dementia was Alzheimer's disease (n = 94, 36%), followed by vascular dementia (n= 68, 26%). Conclusions: One-half of patients with enlarged ventricles and clinically suspected NPH were not shunted after intraventricular pressure monitoring. Dementia caused by various neurodegenerative diseases was frequently seen in patients with ventricular enlargement. Thus, careful diagnostic evaluation in collaboration with neurologists and neurosurgeons is emphasized.
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| 4. |
- Koivisto, Anne M, et al.
(author)
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Poor Cognitive Outcome in Shunt-Responsive Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
- 2013
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In: Neurosurgery. - 0148-396X .- 1524-4040. ; 72:1, s. 1-8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND:: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) causes cognitive decline that can be alleviated by shunting, but long-term outcome studies are scarce. OBJECTIVE:: To elucidate the long-term cognitive condition of shunt-responsive iNPH patients. METHODS:: The follow-up data (Kuopio University Hospital NPH Registry) of 146 patients diagnosed with iNPH by clinical and radiological examination, 24-hour intraventricular pressure monitoring, frontal cortical biopsy, and response to the shunt were analyzed for signs of dementia. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, and specified memory disorder criteria were used. Median follow-up was 4.8 years. RESULTS:: At the end of follow-up, 117 (80%) of the 146 iNPH patients had cognitive decline and 67 (46%) had clinical dementia. The most common clinical diagnoses were Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia. In multivariate analysis of the 146 iNPH patients, memory deficit as a first symptom before shunt (odds ratio [OR] 18.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-175), male sex (OR 3.29; 95% CI 1.11-9.73), age (OR 1.17 year; 95% CI 1.07-1.28), and follow-up time (OR 1.20 year; 95% CI 1.02-1.40) predicted dementia. Interestingly, 8 (5%) iNPH patients had dementia without any signs of other neurodegenerative diseases in clinical, neuroradiological, or brain biopsy evaluation. These patients initially presented a full triad of symptoms, with gait disturbance being the most frequent initial symptom followed by deterioration in cognition. CONCLUSION:: The novel findings were (a) a significant risk of dementia in iNPH initially responsive to cerebrospinal fluid shunt, (b) cognitive impairment most commonly due to iNPH-related dementia followed by concurrent degenerative brain disease, and (c) a subgroup with dementia related to iNPH without comorbidities. ABBREVIATIONS:: Aβ, amyloid betaAD, Alzheimer diseaseCI, confidence intervalHPτ, hyperphosphorylated tauICP, intracranial pressureiNPH, idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalusKUH, Kuopio University HospitalNPH, normal pressure hydrocephalusVaD, vascular dementia.
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| 5. |
- Laitera, Tiina, et al.
(author)
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Increased gamma-Secretase Activity in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Patients with beta-Amyloid Pathology
- 2014
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:4, s. e93717-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The potential similarity between the brain pathology of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and Alzheimer disease (AD) is intriguing and thus further studies focusing on the underlying molecular mechanisms may offer valuable information for differential diagnostics and the development of treatments for iNPH. Here, we investigated beta- and gamma-secretase activities in relation to amyloid-beta (A beta) pathology in the brain tissue samples collected from iNPH and AD patients. beta- and gamma-secretase activities were measured from the frontal cortical biopsies of 26 patients with suspected iNPH as well as post-mortem tissue samples from the inferior temporal cortex of 74 AD patients and eight subjects without neurofibrillary pathology. In iNPH samples with detectable A beta plaques, gamma-secretase activity was significantly increased (similar to 1.6-fold) when compared to iNPH samples without A beta plaques (p=0.009). In the AD samples, statistically significant differences in the gamma-secretase activity were not observed with respect to disease severity (mild, moderate and severe AD according to neurofibrillary pathology). Conversely, beta-secretase activity was unaltered in iNPH samples with or without A beta plaques, while it was significantly increased in relation to disease severity in the AD patients. These results show for the first time increased gamma-secretase but not b-secretase activity in the biopsy samples from the frontal cortex of iNPH patients with AD-like A beta pathology. Conversely, the opposite was observed in these secretase activities in AD patients with respect to neurofibrillary pathology. Despite the resemblances in the A beta pathology, iNPH and AD patients appear to have marked differences in the cellular mechanisms responsible for the production of A beta.
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| 6. |
- Laitera, Tiina, et al.
(author)
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The Expression of Transthyretin and Amyloid-beta Protein Precursor is Altered in the Brain of Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Patients
- 2015
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In: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 48:4, s. 959-968
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a dementing condition in which Alzheimer's disease (AD)related amyloid-beta (A beta) plaques are frequently observed in the neocortex. iNPH patients with prominent A beta pathology show AD-related alterations in amyloid-beta protein precursor (A beta PP) processing resulting from increased gamma-secretase activity. Objectives: Our goal was to assess potential alterations in the global gene expression profile in the brain of iNPH patients as compared to non-demented controls and to evaluate the levels of the identified targets in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of iNPH patients. Methods: The genome-wide expression profile of similar to 35,000 probes was assessed in the RNA samples obtained from 22 iNPH patients and eight non-demented control subjects using a microarray chip. The soluble levels of sA beta PP alpha, sA beta PP beta, and transthyretin (TTR) were measured from the CSF of 102 iNPH patients using ELISA. Results: After correcting the results for multiple testing, significant differences in the expression of TTR and A beta PP were observed between iNPH and control subjects. The mRNA levels of TTR were on average 17-fold lower in iNPH samples compared to control samples. Conversely, the expression level of A beta PP was on average three times higher in iNPH samples as compared to control samples. Interestingly, the expression of beta-secretase (ADAM10) was also increased in iNPH patients. In the lumbar CSF samples, soluble TTR levels showed a significant positive correlation with sA beta PP alpha and sA beta PP beta, but TTR levels did not predict the brain pathology or the shunt response. Conclusions: These findings suggest differences in the expression profile of key factors involved in AD-related cellular events in the brain of iNPH patients.
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| 7. |
- Laiterä, Tiina, et al.
(author)
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Effects of Alzheimer's Disease-Associated Risk Loci on Amyloid-β Accumulation in the Brain of Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Patients
- 2017
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In: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 55:3, s. 995-1003
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a dementing condition featuring characteristic symptoms, ventriculomegaly, and normal or slightly elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure. In Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, diffuse aggregates of amyloid-β (Aβ) and neurofibrillary hyperphosphorylated tau are detected in the neocortex of the brain, while similar accumulation of Aβ is also detected in iNPH. Recent genome-wide association studies have identified several novel risk loci for AD, potentially affecting Aβ-related cellular processes. Apart from the apolipoprotein E ɛ4 allele (APOE4), the risk effect of single loci is low, emphasizing the importance of the polygenic risk score approach when assessing the combined effects.OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of AD-associated individual and polygenic risk score of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the accumulation of Aβ in the brain samples of iNPH patients.METHODS: A sample set of frontal cortex biopsies from 188 iNPH patients were divided into two groups according to the Aβ pathology. After the genotyping of the AD-associated risk loci, polygenic risk score was calculated for each iNPH patient and subsequently analyzed in relation to Aβ deposition.RESULTS: Apart from the APOE4, none of the SNPs revealed a statistically significant effect on the accumulation of Aβ in iNPH. Also, the non-APOE4 polygenic risk score did not associate with Aβ deposition.CONCLUSION: Novel AD-associated risk genes have no significant effect on Aβ accumulation in the brain of iNPH patients. However, APOE4 affects the Aβ deposition in the brain of iNPH and AD patients in a similar manner.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Leinonen, Ville, et al.
(author)
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Amyloid and Tau Proteins in Cortical Brain Biopsy and Alzheimer's Disease
- 2010
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In: Annals of Neurology. - : Wiley. - 0364-5134 .- 1531-8249. ; 68:4, s. 446-453
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Amyloid-beta(A beta) aggregates are presumed to be found in the brain at an early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) but have seldom been assessed by brain biopsy during life in often elderly patients. Methods: Between 1991 and 2006 we evaluated 468 patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus with intraventricular pressure monitoring and a right frontal cortical biopsy sample immunostained for A beta and hyperphosphorylated tau (HP tau). Adequate samples and the clinical follow-up data until death or the end of 2008, available in 433 cases, were reviewed for the clinical signs of dementia, including AD. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze whether A beta and/or HP tau in the biopsy samples obtained during life predicted development of cognitive impairment, in particular, AD. Results: Of the 433 frontal cortical samples, 42 (10%) displayed both A beta and HP tau, 144 (33%) A beta only, and 247 (57%) neither A beta nor HP tau. In a median follow-up time of 4.4 years, 94 patients (22%) developed clinical AD. The presence of both A beta and HP tau was strongly associated (odds ratio [OR], 68.2; 95% confidence interval [Cl], 22.1-210) and A beta alone significantly associated (OR, 10.8; 95% Cl, 4.9-23.8) with the clinical diagnosis of AD. Interpretation: This is the largest follow-up study of patients assessed for the presence of A beta and HP tau in frontal cortical brain biopsy samples. 1) The presence of A beta and HP tau spoke strongly for the presence or later development of clinical AD; 2) A beta alone was suggestive of AD; and 3) the absence of A beta and HP tau spoke against a later clinical diagnosis of AD.
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| 10. |
- Leinonen, Ville, et al.
(author)
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Assessment of beta-amyloid in a frontal cortical brain biopsy specimen and by positron emission tomography with carbon 11-labeled Pittsburgh Compound B.
- 2008
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In: Archives of Neurology. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 0003-9942 .- 1538-3687. ; 65:10, s. 1304-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To compare carbon 11-labeled Pittsburgh Compound B ([11C]PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) findings in patients with and without Alzheimer disease lesions in frontal cortical biopsy specimens.DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of [11C]PiB PET findings in patients with or without beta-amyloid (Abeta) aggregates in frontal cortical biopsy specimens.SETTING: Two university hospitals in Finland. Patients Ten patients who had undergone intraventricular pressure monitoring with a frontal cortical biopsy (evaluated for Abeta aggregates and hyperphosphorylated tau) for suspected normal-pressure hydrocephalus.INTERVENTIONS: [11C]PiB PET and evaluation for cognitive impairment using a battery of neuropsychological tests.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Immunohistochemical evaluation for Abeta aggregates and hyperphosphorylated tau in the frontal cortical biopsy specimen and [11C]PiB PET.RESULTS: In patients with Abeta aggregates in the frontal cortical biopsy specimen, PET imaging revealed higher [11C]PiB uptake (P < .05) in the frontal, parietal, and lateral temporal cortices and in the striatum as compared with the patients without frontal Abeta deposits.CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports the use of noninvasive [11C]PiB PET in the assessment of Abeta deposition in the brain. Large prospective studies are required to verify whether [11C]PiB PET will be a diagnostic aid, particularly in early Alzheimer disease.
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