| 1. |
- Eyjolfsdottir, H., et al.
(författare)
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Targeted delivery of nerve growth factor to the cholinergic basal forebrain of Alzheimer's disease patients: application of a second-generation encapsulated cell biodelivery device
- 2016
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Ingår i: Alzheimers Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Targeted delivery of nerve growth factor (NGF) has emerged as a potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to its regenerative effects on basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. This hypothesis has been tested in patients with AD using encapsulated cell biodelivery of NGF (NGF-ECB) in a first-in-human study. We report our results from a third-dose cohort of patients receiving second-generation NGF-ECB implants with improved NGF secretion. Methods: Four patients with mild to moderate AD were recruited to participate in an open-label, phase Ib dose escalation study with a 6-month duration. Each patient underwent stereotactic implant surgery with four NGF-ECB implants targeted at the cholinergic basal forebrain. The NGF secretion of the second-generation implants was improved by using the Sleeping Beauty transposon gene expression technology and an improved three-dimensional internal scaffolding, resulting in production of about 10 ng NGF/device/day. Results: All patients underwent successful implant procedures without complications, and all patients completed the study, including implant removal after 6 months. Upon removal, 13 of 16 implants released NGF, 8 implants released NGF at the same rate or higher than before the implant procedure, and 3 implants failed to release detectable amounts of NGF. Of 16 adverse events, none was NGF-, or implant-related. Changes from baseline values of cholinergic markers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) correlated with cortical nicotinic receptor expression and Mini Mental State Examination score. Levels of neurofilament light chain (NFL) protein increased in CSF after NGF-ECB implant, while glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) remained stable. Conclusions: The data derived from this patient cohort demonstrate the safety and tolerability of sustained NGF release by a second-generation NGF-ECB implant to the basal forebrain, with uneventful surgical implant and removal of NGF-ECB implants in a new dosing cohort of four patients with AD.
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| 2. |
- Voevodskaya, O., et al.
(författare)
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Brain myoinositol as a potential marker of amyloid-related pathology: A longitudinal study
- 2019
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Ingår i: Neurology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 92:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectiveTo investigate the association between longitudinal changes in proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) metabolites and amyloid pathology in individuals without dementia, and to explore the relationship between MRS and cognitive decline.MethodsIn this longitudinal multiple time point study (a subset of the Swedish BioFINDER), we included cognitively healthy participants, individuals with subjective cognitive decline, and individuals with mild cognitive impairment. MRS was acquired serially in 294 participants (670 individual spectra) from the posterior cingulate/precuneus. Using mixed-effects models, we assessed the association between MRS and baseline -amyloid (A), and between MRS and the longitudinal Mini-Mental State Examination, accounting for APOE, age, and sex.ResultsWhile baseline MRS metabolites were similar in A positive (A+) and negative (A-) individuals, in the A+ group, the estimated rate of change was +1.9%/y for myo-inositol (mI)/creatine (Cr) and -2.0%/y for N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/mI. In the A- group, mI/Cr and NAA/mI yearly change was -0.05% and +1.2%; however, this was not significant across time points. The mild cognitive impairment A+ group showed the steepest MRS changes, with an estimated rate of +2.93%/y (p = 0.07) for mI/Cr and -3.55%/y (p < 0.01) for NAA/mI. Furthermore, in the entire cohort, we found that A+ individuals with low baseline NAA/mI had a significantly higher rate of cognitive decline than A+ individuals with high baseline NAA/mI.ConclusionWe demonstrate that the longitudinal change in mI/Cr and NAA/mI is associated with underlying amyloid pathology. MRS may be a useful noninvasive marker of A-related processes over time. In addition, we show that in A+ individuals, baseline NAA/mI may predict the rate of future cognitive decline.
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| 3. |
- Badji, A., et al.
(författare)
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Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers, Brain Structural and Cognitive Performances Between Normotensive and Hypertensive Controlled, Uncontrolled and Untreated 70-Year-Old Adults
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1663-4365. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Hypertension is an important risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the relationship between AD and hypertension are not fully understood, but they most likely involve microvascular dysfunction and cerebrovascular pathology. Although previous studies have assessed the impact of hypertension on different markers of brain integrity, no study has yet provided a comprehensive comparison of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers and structural brain differences between normotensive and hypertensive groups in a single and large cohort of older adults in relationship to cognitive performances.Objective: The aim of the present work was to investigate the differences in cognitive performances, CSF biomarkers and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain structure between normotensive, controlled hypertensive, uncontrolled hypertensive, and untreated hypertensive older adults from the Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Studies.Methods: As an indicator of vascular brain pathology, we measured white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), lacunes, cerebral microbleeds, enlarged perivascular space (epvs), and fractional anisotropy (FA). To assess markers of AD pathology/neurodegeneration, we measured hippocampal volume, temporal cortical thickness on MRI, and amyloid-beta(42), phosphorylated tau, and neurofilament light protein (NfL) in cerebrospinal fluid. Various neuropsychological tests were used to assess performances in memory, attention/processing speed, executive function, verbal fluency, and visuospatial abilities.Results: We found more white matter pathology in hypertensive compared to normotensive participants, with the highest vascular burden in uncontrolled participants (e.g., lower FA, more WMHs, and epvs). No significant difference was found in any MRI or CSF markers of AD pathology/neurodegeneration when comparing normotensive and hypertensive participants, nor among hypertensive groups. No significant difference was found in most cognitive functions between groups.Conclusion: Our results suggest that good blood pressure control may help prevent cerebrovascular pathology. In addition, hypertension may contribute to cognitive decline through its effect on cerebrovascular pathology rather than AD-related pathology. These findings suggest that hypertension is associated with MRI markers of vascular pathology in the absence of a significant decline in cognitive functions.
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| 4. |
- Cedres, N., et al.
(författare)
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Association of Cerebrovascular and Alzheimer Disease Biomarkers With Cholinergic White Matter Degeneration in Cognitively Unimpaired Individuals
- 2022
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Ingår i: Neurology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 99:15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Objectives Several pathologic processes might contribute to the degeneration of the cholinergic system in aging. We aimed to determine the contribution of amyloid, tau, and cerebrovascular biomarkers toward the degeneration of cholinergic white matter (WM) projections in cognitively unimpaired individuals. Methods The contribution of amyloid and tau pathology was assessed through CSF levels of the A beta(42/40) ratio and phosphorylated tau (p-tau). CSF A beta(38) levels were also measured. Cerebrovascular pathology was assessed using automatic segmentations of WM lesions (WMLs) on MRI. Cholinergic WM projections (i.e., cingulum and external capsule pathways) were modeled using tractography based on diffusion tensor imaging data. Sex and APOE epsilon 4 carriership were also included in the analysis as variables of interest. Results We included 203 cognitively unimpaired individuals from the H70 Gothenburg Birth Cohort Studies (all individuals aged 70 years, 51% female). WM lesion burden was the most important contributor to the degeneration of both cholinergic pathways (increase in mean square error [IncMSE] = 98.8% in the external capsule pathway and IncMSE = 93.3% in the cingulum pathway). Levels of A beta(38) and p-tau also contributed to cholinergic WM degeneration, especially in the external capsule pathway (IncMSE = 28.4% and IncMSE = 23.4%, respectively). The A beta(42/40) ratio did not contribute notably to the models (IncMSE<3.0%). APOE epsilon 4 carriers showed poorer integrity in the cingulum pathway (IncMSE = 21.33%). Women showed poorer integrity of the external capsule pathway (IncMSE = 21.55%), which was independent of amyloid status as reflected by the nonsignificant differences in integrity when comparing amyloid-positive vs amyloid-negative women participants (T-201 = -1.55; p = 0.123). Discussion In cognitively unimpaired older individuals, WMLs play a central role in the degeneration of cholinergic pathways. Our findings highlight the importance of WM lesion burden in the elderly population, which should be considered in the development of prevention programs for neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment.
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| 5. |
- Dittrich, Anna, 1972, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma and CSF NfL are differentially associated with biomarker evidence of neurodegeneration in a community-based sample of 70-year-olds
- 2022
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Ingår i: Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring. - : Wiley. - 2352-8729. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neurofilament light protein (NfL) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma (P) are suggested to be interchangeable markers of neurodegeneration. However, evidence is scarce from community-based samples. NfL was examined in a small-scale sample of 287 individuals from the Gothenburg H70 Birth cohort 1944 study, using linear models in relation to CSF and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarker evidence of neurodegeneration. CSF-NfL and P-NfL present distinct associations with biomarker evidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and neurodegeneration. P-NfL was associated with several markers that are characteristic of AD, including smaller hippocampal volumes, amyloid beta (A beta)(42), A beta(42/40), and A beta(42)/t-tau (total tau). CSF-NfL demonstrated associations with measures of synaptic and neurodegeneration, including t-tau, phosphorylated tau (p-tau), and neurogranin. Our findings suggest that P-NfL and CSF-NfL may exert different effects on markers of neurodegeneration in a small-scale community-based sample of 70-year-olds.
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| 6. |
- Duits, F. H., et al.
(författare)
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Synaptic proteins in CSF as potential novel biomarkers for prognosis in prodromal Alzheimer's disease
- 2018
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Ingår i: Alzheimers Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: We investigated whether a panel of 12 potential novel biomarkers consisting of proteins involved in synapse functioning and immunity would be able to distinguish patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from control subjects. Methods: We included 40 control subjects, 40 subjects with MCI, and 40 subjects with AD from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort who were matched for age and sex (age 65 +/- 5 years, 19 [48%] women). The mean follow-up of patients with MCI was 3 years. Two or three tryptic peptides per protein were analyzed in cerebrospinal fluid using parallel reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. Corresponding stable isotope-labeled peptides were added and used as reference peptides. Multilevel generalized estimating equations (GEEs) with peptides clustered per subject and per protein (as within-subject variables) were used to assess differences between diagnostic groups. To assess differential effects of individual proteins, we included the diagnosis x protein interaction in the model. Separate GEE analyses were performed to assess differences between stable patients and patients with progressive MCI (MCI-AD). Results: There was a main effect for diagnosis (p < 0.01) and an interaction between diagnosis and protein (p < 0.01). Analysis stratified according to protein showed higher levels in patients with MCI for most proteins, especially in patients with MCI-AD. Chromogranin A, secretogranin II, neurexin 3, and neuropentraxin 1 showed the largest effect sizes; beta values ranged from 0.53 to 0.78 for patients with MCI versus control subjects or patients with AD, and from 0.67 to 0.98 for patients with MCI-AD versus patients with stable MCI. In contrast, neurosecretory protein VGF was lower in patients with AD than in patients with MCI (beta = -0.93 [SE 0.22]) and control subjects (beta = 0.46 [SE 0.19]). Conclusions: Our results suggest that several proteins involved in vesicular transport and synaptic stability are elevated in patients with MCI, especially in patients with MCI progressing to AD dementia. This may reflect early events in the AD pathophysiological cascade. These proteins may be valuable as disease stage or prognostic markers in an early symptomatic stage of the disease.
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| 7. |
- Lindberg, O., et al.
(författare)
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Effects of amyloid pathology and the APOE epsilon 4 allele on the association between cerebrospinal fluid A beta 38 and A beta 40 and brain morphology in cognitively normal 70-years-olds
- 2021
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Ingår i: Neurobiology of Aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 0197-4580. ; 101, s. 1-12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The association between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid beta (A beta) A beta 38 or A beta 40 and brain grey- and white matter integrity is poorly understood. We studied this in 213 cognitively normal 70-year-olds, and in subgroups defined by presence/absence of the APOE epsilon 4 allele and A beta pathology: A beta-/APOE-, A beta+/APOE-, A beta-/APOE+ and A beta+/APOE+. CSF A beta was quantified using ELISA and genotyping for APOE was performed. Low CSF A beta 42 defined A beta plaque pathology. Brain volumes were assessed using Freesurfer-5.3, and white matter integrity using tract-based statistics in FSL. A beta 38 and A beta 40 were positively correlated with cortical thickness, some subcortical volumes and white matter integrity in the total sample, and in 3 of the subgroups: A beta-/APOE-, A beta+/APOE- and A beta-/APOE+. In A beta+/APOE+ subjects, higher A beta 38 and A beta 40 were linked to reduced cortical thickness and subcortical volumes. We hypothesize that production of all A beta species decrease in brain regions with atrophy. In A beta+/APOE+, A beta-dysregulation may be linked to cortical atrophy in which high A beta levels is causing pathological changes in the gray matter of the brain. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc.
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| 8. |
- Srikrishna, Meera, et al.
(författare)
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CT-based volumetric measures obtained through deep learning: Association with biomarkers of neurodegeneration
- 2024
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Ingår i: Alzheimers & Dementia. - 1552-5260. ; 20:1, s. 629-640
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTIONCranial computed tomography (CT) is an affordable and widely available imaging modality that is used to assess structural abnormalities, but not to quantify neurodegeneration. Previously we developed a deep-learning-based model that produced accurate and robust cranial CT tissue classification.MATERIALS AND METHODSWe analyzed 917 CT and 744 magnetic resonance (MR) scans from the Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort, and 204 CT and 241 MR scans from participants of the Memory Clinic Cohort, Singapore. We tested associations between six CT-based volumetric measures (CTVMs) and existing clinical diagnoses, fluid and imaging biomarkers, and measures of cognition.RESULTSCTVMs differentiated cognitively healthy individuals from dementia and prodromal dementia patients with high accuracy levels comparable to MR-based measures. CTVMs were significantly associated with measures of cognition and biochemical markers of neurodegeneration.DISCUSSIONThese findings suggest the potential future use of CT-based volumetric measures as an informative first-line examination tool for neurodegenerative disease diagnostics after further validation.HIGHLIGHTSComputed tomography (CT)-based volumetric measures can distinguish between patients with neurodegenerative disease and healthy controls, as well as between patients with prodromal dementia and controls.CT-based volumetric measures associate well with relevant cognitive, biochemical, and neuroimaging markers of neurodegenerative diseases.Model performance, in terms of brain tissue classification, was consistent across two cohorts of diverse nature.Intermodality agreement between our automated CT-based and established magnetic resonance (MR)-based image segmentations was stronger than the agreement between visual CT and MR imaging assessment.
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| 9. |
- Öhrfelt, Annika, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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The pre-synaptic vesicle protein synaptotagmin is a novel biomarker for Alzheimer's disease
- 2016
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Ingår i: Alzheimers Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Synaptic degeneration is a central pathogenic event in Alzheimer's disease that occurs early during the course of disease and correlates with cognitive symptoms. The pre-synaptic vesicle protein synaptotagmin-1 appears to be essential for the maintenance of an intact synaptic transmission and cognitive function. Synaptotagmin-1 in cerebrospinal fluid is a candidate Alzheimer biomarker for synaptic dysfunction that also may correlate with cognitive decline. Methods: In this study, a novel mass spectrometry-based assay for measurement of cerebrospinal fluid synaptotagmin-1 was developed, and was evaluated in two independent sample sets of patients and controls. Sample set I included cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (N = 17, age 52-86 years), patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (N = 5, age 62-88 years), and controls (N = 17, age 41-82 years). Sample set II included cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (N = 24, age 52-84 years), patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (N = 18, age 58-83 years), and controls (N = 36, age 43-80 years). Results: The reproducibility of the novel method showed coefficients of variation of the measured synaptotagmin-1 peptide 215-223 (VPYSELGGK) and peptide 238-245 (HDIIGEFK) of 14 % or below. In both investigated sample sets, the CSF levels of synaptotagmin-1 were significantly increased in patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (P <= 0.0001) and in patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (P < 0.001). In addition, in sample set I the synaptotagmin-1 level was significantly higher in patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease compared with patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (P <= 0.05). Conclusions: Cerebrospinal fluid synaptotagmin-1 is a promising biomarker to monitor synaptic dysfunction and degeneration in Alzheimer's disease that may be useful for clinical diagnosis, to monitor effect on synaptic integrity by novel drug candidates, and to explore pathophysiology directly in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
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