1. |
- Vogel, Jacob W., et al.
(author)
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Four distinct trajectories of tau deposition identified in Alzheimer’s disease
- 2021
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 27:5, s. 871-881
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the spread of tau pathology throughout the cerebral cortex. This spreading pattern was thought to be fairly consistent across individuals, although recent work has demonstrated substantial variability in the population with AD. Using tau-positron emission tomography scans from 1,612 individuals, we identified 4 distinct spatiotemporal trajectories of tau pathology, ranging in prevalence from 18 to 33%. We replicated previously described limbic-predominant and medial temporal lobe-sparing patterns, while also discovering posterior and lateral temporal patterns resembling atypical clinical variants of AD. These ‘subtypes’ were stable during longitudinal follow-up and were replicated in a separate sample using a different radiotracer. The subtypes presented with distinct demographic and cognitive profiles and differing longitudinal outcomes. Additionally, network diffusion models implied that pathology originates and spreads through distinct corticolimbic networks in the different subtypes. Together, our results suggest that variation in tau pathology is common and systematic, perhaps warranting a re-examination of the notion of ‘typical AD’ and a revisiting of tau pathological staging. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.
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2. |
- Deming, Y., et al.
(author)
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Neuropathology-based APOE genetic risk score better quantifies Alzheimer's risk
- 2023
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In: Alzheimers & Dementia. - : Wiley. - 1552-5260 .- 1552-5279. ; 19:8, s. 3406-3416
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- IntroductionApolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon 4-carrier status or epsilon 4 allele count are included in analyses to account for the APOE genetic effect on Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, this does not account for protective effects of APOE epsilon 2 or heterogeneous effect of epsilon 2, epsilon 3, and epsilon 4 haplotypes. MethodsWe leveraged results from an autopsy-confirmed AD study to generate a weighted risk score for APOE (APOE-npscore). We regressed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid and tau biomarkers on APOE variables from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP), Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (WADRC), and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). ResultsThe APOE-npscore explained more variance and provided a better model fit for all three CSF measures than APOE epsilon 4-carrier status and epsilon 4 allele count. These findings were replicated in ADNI and observed in subsets of cognitively unimpaired (CU) participants. DiscussionThe APOE-npscore reflects the genetic effect on neuropathology and provides an improved method to account for APOE in AD-related analyses.
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3. |
- Dong, R. C., et al.
(author)
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CSF metabolites associated with biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease pathology
- 2023
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In: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. - 1663-4365. ; 15
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- IntroductionMetabolomics technology facilitates studying associations between small molecules and disease processes. Correlating metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with Alzheimer's disease (AD) CSF biomarkers may elucidate additional changes that are associated with early AD pathology and enhance our knowledge of the disease.MethodsThe relative abundance of untargeted metabolites was assessed in 161 individuals from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention. A metabolome-wide association study (MWAS) was conducted between 269 CSF metabolites and protein biomarkers reflecting brain amyloidosis, tau pathology, neuronal and synaptic degeneration, and astrocyte or microglial activation and neuroinflammation. Linear mixed-effects regression analyses were performed with random intercepts for sample relatedness and repeated measurements and fixed effects for age, sex, and years of education. The metabolome-wide significance was determined by a false discovery rate threshold of 0.05. The significant metabolites were replicated in 154 independent individuals from then Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Mendelian randomization was performed using genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms from a CSF metabolites genome-wide association study.ResultsMetabolome-wide association study results showed several significantly associated metabolites for all the biomarkers except A & beta;42/40 and IL-6. Genetic variants associated with metabolites and Mendelian randomization analysis provided evidence for a causal association of metabolites for soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (sTREM2), amyloid & beta; (A & beta;40), & alpha;-synuclein, total tau, phosphorylated tau, and neurogranin, for example, palmitoyl sphingomyelin (d18:1/16:0) for sTREM2, and erythritol for A & beta;40 and & alpha;-synuclein.DiscussionThis study provides evidence that CSF metabolites are associated with AD-related pathology, and many of these associations may be causal.
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4. |
- Dong, R. C., et al.
(author)
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Principal components from untargeted cerebrospinal fluid metabolomics associated with Alzheimer's disease biomarkers
- 2022
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In: Neurobiology of Aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 0197-4580. ; 117, s. 12-23
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Studying the correlation between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) metabolites and the Alzheimer's Disease (AD) biomarkers may offer a window to the alterations of the brain metabolome and unveil potential biological mechanisms underlying AD. In this analysis, 308 CSF metabolites from 338 individuals of Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention and Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center were included in a principal component analysis (PCA). The resulted principal components (PCs) were tested for association with CSF total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated tau (p-tau), amyloid beta 42 (A beta 42), and A beta 42/40 ratio using linear regression models. Significant PCs were further tested with other CSF NeuroToolKit (NTK) and imaging biomarkers. Using a Bonferroni corrected p < 0.05, 5 PCs were significantly associated with CSF p-tau and t-tau and 3 PCs were significantly associated with CSF A beta 42. Pathway analysis suggested that these PCS were enriched in 6 pathways, including metabolism of caffeine and nicotinate and nicotinamide. This study provides evidence that CSF metabolites are associated with AD pathology through core AD biomarkers and other NTK markers and suggests potential pathways to follow up in future studies.(c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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5. |
- Gallagher, R. L., et al.
(author)
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Neuroimaging of tissue microstructure as a marker of neurodegeneration in the AT(N) framework: defining abnormal neurodegeneration and improving prediction of clinical status
- 2023
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In: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. - 1758-9193. ; 15:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundAlzheimer's disease involves accumulating amyloid (A) and tau (T) pathology, and progressive neurodegeneration (N), leading to the development of the AD clinical syndrome. While several markers of N have been proposed, efforts to define normal vs. abnormal neurodegeneration based on neuroimaging have been limited. Sensitive markers that may account for or predict cognitive dysfunction for individuals in early disease stages are critical.MethodsParticipants (n = 296) defined on A and T status and spanning the AD-clinical continuum underwent multi-shell diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging to generate Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) metrics, which were tested as markers of N. To better define N, we developed age- and sex-adjusted robust z-score values to quantify normal and AD-associated (abnormal) neurodegeneration in both cortical gray matter and subcortical white matter regions of interest. We used general logistic regression with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC) analysis to test whether NODDI metrics improved diagnostic accuracy compared to models that only relied on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) A and T status (alone and in combination).ResultsUsing internal robust norms, we found that NODDI metrics correlate with worsening cognitive status and that NODDI captures early, AD neurodegenerative pathology in the gray matter of cognitively unimpaired, but A/T biomarker-positive, individuals. NODDI metrics utilized together with A and T status improved diagnostic prediction accuracy of AD clinical status, compared with models using CSF A and T status alone.ConclusionUsing a robust norms approach, we show that abnormal AD-related neurodegeneration can be detected among cognitively unimpaired individuals. Metrics derived from diffusion-weighted imaging are potential sensitive markers of N and could be considered for trial enrichment and as outcomes in clinical trials. However, given the small sample sizes, the exploratory nature of the work must be acknowledged.
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6. |
- Heston, M. B., et al.
(author)
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Gut inflammation associated with age and Alzheimer's disease pathology: a human cohort study
- 2023
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In: Scientific Reports. - 2045-2322. ; 13:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Age-related disease may be mediated by low levels of chronic inflammation ("inflammaging"). Recent work suggests that gut microbes can contribute to inflammation via degradation of the intestinal barrier. While aging and age-related diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD) are linked to altered microbiome composition and higher levels of gut microbial components in systemic circulation, the role of intestinal inflammation remains unclear. To investigate whether greater gut inflammation is associated with advanced age and AD pathology, we assessed fecal samples from older adults to measure calprotectin, an established marker of intestinal inflammation which is elevated in diseases of gut barrier integrity. Multiple regression with maximum likelihood estimation and Satorra-Bentler corrections were used to test relationships between fecal calprotectin and clinical diagnosis, participant age, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of AD pathology, amyloid burden measured using 11C-Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography (PiB PET) imaging, and performance on cognitive tests measuring executive function and verbal learning and recall. Calprotectin levels were elevated in advanced age and were higher in participants diagnosed with amyloid-confirmed AD dementia. Additionally, among individuals with AD dementia, higher calprotectin was associated with greater amyloid burden as measured with PiB PET. Exploratory analyses indicated that calprotectin levels were also associated with cerebrospinal fluid markers of AD, and with lower verbal memory function even among cognitively unimpaired participants. Taken together, these findings suggest that intestinal inflammation is linked with brain pathology even in the earliest disease stages. Moreover, intestinal inflammation may exacerbate the progression toward AD.
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7. |
- Panyard, D. J., et al.
(author)
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Liver-Specific Polygenic Risk Score Is Associated with Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis
- 2023
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In: Journal of Alzheimers Disease. - : IOS Press. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 92:2, s. 395-409
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Our understanding of the pathophysiology underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) has benefited from genomic analyses, including those that leverage polygenic risk score (PRS) models of disease. The use of functional annotation has been able to improve the power of genomic models. Objective: We sought to leverage genomic functional annotations to build tissue-specific AD PRS models and study their relationship with AD and its biomarkers. Methods: We built 13 tissue-specific AD PRS and studied the scores' relationships with AD diagnosis, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid, CSF tau, and other CSF biomarkers in two longitudinal cohort studies of AD. Results: The AD PRS model that was most predictive of AD diagnosis (even without APOE) was the liver AD PRS: n = 1,115; odds ratio = 2.15 (1.67-2.78), p = 3.62x10(-9). The liver AD PRS was also statistically significantly associated with cerebrospinal fluid biomarker evidence of amyloid-beta (A beta(42):A beta(40) ratio, p = 3.53x10(-6)) and the phosphorylated tau:amyloid beta ratio (p = 1.45x10(-5)). Conclusion: These findings provide further evidence of the role of the liver-functional genome in AD and the benefits of incorporating functional annotation into genomic research.
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8. |
- Vogt, N. M., et al.
(author)
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Interaction of amyloid and tau on cortical microstructure in cognitively unimpaired adults
- 2022
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In: Alzheimer's and Dementia. - : Wiley. - 1552-5260 .- 1552-5279. ; 18:1, s. 65-76
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), a multi-compartment diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) model, may be useful for detecting early cortical microstructural alterations in Alzheimer's disease prior to cognitive impairment. Methods: Using neuroimaging (NODDI and T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker data (measured using Elecsys® CSF immunoassays) from 219 cognitively unimpaired participants, we tested the main and interactive effects of CSF amyloid beta (Aβ)42/Aβ40 and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) on cortical NODDI metrics and cortical thickness, controlling for age, sex, and apolipoprotein E ε4. Results: We observed a significant CSF Aβ42/Aβ40 × p-tau interaction on cortical neurite density index (NDI), but not orientation dispersion index or cortical thickness. The directionality of these interactive effects indicated: (1) among individuals with lower CSF p-tau, greater amyloid burden was associated with higher cortical NDI; and (2) individuals with greater amyloid and p-tau burden had lower cortical NDI, consistent with cortical neurodegenerative changes. Discussion: NDI is a particularly sensitive marker for early cortical changes that occur prior to gross atrophy or development of cognitive impairment. © 2021 the Alzheimer's Association
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9. |
- Bruno, D., et al.
(author)
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A comparison of diagnostic performance of word-list and story recall tests for biomarker-determined Alzheimer's disease
- 2023
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In: Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. - 1380-3395. ; 45:8, s. 763-769
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundWordlist and story recall tests are routinely employed in clinical practice for dementia diagnosis. In this study, our aim was to establish how well-standard clinical metrics compared to process scores derived from wordlist and story recall tests in predicting biomarker determined Alzheimer's disease, as defined by CSF ptau/A & beta;42 ratio.MethodsData from 295 participants (mean age = 65 & PLUSMN; 9.) were drawn from the University of Wisconsin - Madison Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) and Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP). Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT; wordlist) and Logical Memory Test (LMT; story) data were used. Bayesian linear regression analyses were carried out with CSF ptau/A & beta;42 ratio as outcome. Sensitivity analyses were carried out with logistic regressions to assess diagnosticity.ResultsLMT generally outperformed AVLT. Notably, the best predictors were primacy ratio, a process score indexing loss of information learned early during test administration, and recency ratio, which tracks loss of recently learned information. Sensitivity analyses confirmed this conclusion.ConclusionsOur study shows that story recall tests may be better than wordlist tests for detection of dementia, especially when employing process scores alongside conventional clinical scores.
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10. |
- Bruno, D., et al.
(author)
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The recency ratio assessed by story recall is associated with cerebrospinal fluid levels of neurodegeneration biomarkers
- 2023
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In: Cortex. - : Elsevier BV. - 0010-9452. ; 159, s. 167-174
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recency refers to the information learned at the end of a study list or task. Recency forgetting, as tracked by the ratio between recency recall in immediate and delayed con-ditions, i.e., the recency ratio (Rr), has been applied to list-learning tasks, demonstrating its efficacy in predicting cognitive decline, conversion to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of neurodegeneration. However, little is known as to whether Rr can be effectively applied to story recall tasks. To address this question, data were extracted from the database of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the Uni-versity of Wisconsin -Madison. A total of 212 participants were included in the study. CSF biomarkers were amyloid-beta (Ab) 40 and 42, phosphorylated (p) and total (t) tau, neu-rofilament light (NFL), neurogranin (Ng), and a-synuclein (a-syn). Story Recall was measured with the Logical Memory Test (LMT). We carried out Bayesian regression ana-lyses with Rr, and other LMT scores as predictors; and CSF biomarkers (including the Ab42/ 40 and p-tau/Ab42 ratios) as outcomes. Results showed that models including Rr consis-tently provided best fits with the data, with few exceptions. These findings demonstrate the applicability of Rr to story recall and its sensitivity to CSF biomarkers of neuro-degeneration, and encourage its inclusion when evaluating risk of neurodegeneration with story recall. (c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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