1. |
- Andersson, Emelie, et al.
(author)
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Blood and cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light differentially detect neurodegeneration in early Alzheimer's disease
- 2020
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In: Neurobiology of Aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 0197-4580. ; 95, s. 143-153
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light (NfL) concentration has reproducibly been shown to reflect neurodegeneration in brain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). NfL concentration in blood correlates with the corresponding CSF levels, but few studies have directly compared the reliability of these 2 markers in sporadic AD. Herein, we measured plasma and CSF concentrations of NfL in 478 cognitively unimpaired (CU) subjects, 227 patients with mild cognitive impairment, and 113 patients with AD dementia. We found that the concentration of NfL in CSF, but not in plasma, was increased in response to Aβ pathology in CU subjects. Both CSF and plasma NfL concentrations were increased in patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD dementia. Furthermore, only NfL in CSF was associated with reduced white matter microstructure in CU subjects. Finally, in a transgenic mouse model of AD, CSF NfL increased before serum NfL in response to the development of Aβ pathology. In conclusion, NfL in CSF may be a more reliable biomarker of neurodegeneration than NfL in blood in preclinical sporadic AD.
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2. |
- Ashton, Nicholas J., et al.
(author)
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An update on blood-based biomarkers for non-Alzheimer neurodegenerative disorders.
- 2020
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In: Nature Reviews Neurology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1759-4766 .- 1759-4758. ; 16, s. 265-284
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cerebrospinal fluid analyses and neuroimaging can identify the underlying pathophysiology at the earliest stage of some neurodegenerative disorders, but do not have the scalability needed for population screening. Therefore, a blood-based marker for such pathophysiology would have greater utility in a primary care setting and in eligibility screening for clinical trials. Rapid advances in ultra-sensitive assays have enabled the levels of pathological proteins to be measured in blood samples, but research has been predominantly focused on Alzheimer disease (AD). Nonetheless, proteins that were identified as potential blood-based biomarkers for AD, for example, amyloid-β, tau, phosphorylated tau and neurofilament light chain, are likely to be relevant to other neurodegenerative disorders that involve similar pathological processes and could also be useful for the differential diagnosis of clinical symptoms. This Review outlines the neuropathological, clinical, molecular imaging and cerebrospinal fluid features of the most common neurodegenerative disorders outside the AD continuum and gives an overview of the current status of blood-based biomarkers for these disorders.
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3. |
- Heurling, Kerstin, et al.
(author)
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Disturbances in brain energy metabolism in insulin resistance and diabetes and Alzheimer's disease — Learnings from brain imaging biomarkers
- 2020
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In: International Review of Neurobiology. - : Elsevier. - 0074-7742. ; 154, s. 111-130
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Medical imaging techniques, such as structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, have been used to gain a better understanding of the alterations of the metabolic processes in the brain relating to type 2 diabetes melltius, insulin resistance and Alzheimer's disease. These studies have shown that there are several similarities in the effects that these seemingly disparate diseases have on the brain, and that some of the abnormalities are reversed by metabolic interventions. This review provides an overview of the overlap between these diseases using medical imaging, focusing on glucose metabolism, mitochondrial function and lipid metabolism.
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4. |
- Lessa Benedet, Andréa, et al.
(author)
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Stage-specific links between plasma neurofilament light and imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease
- 2020
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In: Brain. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-8950 .- 1460-2156. ; 143:12, s. 3793-3804
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Neurofilament light (NfL) is a marker of neuroaxonal injury, a prominent feature of Alzheimer's disease. It remains uncertain, however, how it relates to amyloid and tau pathology or neurodegeneration across the Alzheimer's disease continuum. The aim of this study was to investigate how plasma NfL relates to amyloid and tau PET and MRI measures of brain atrophy in participants with and without cognitive impairment. We retrospectively examined the association between plasma NfL and MRI measures of grey/white matter volumes in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative [ADNI: n = 1149; 382 cognitively unimpaired control subjects and 767 cognitively impaired participants (mild cognitive impairment n = 420, Alzheimer's disease dementia n = 347)]. Longitudinal plasma NfL was measured using single molecule array (Simoa) technology. Cross-sectional associations between plasma NfL and PET amyloid and tau measures were independently assessed in two cohorts: ADNI [n = 198; 110 cognitively unimpaired, 88 cognitively impaired (MCI n = 67, Alzheimer's disease dementia n = 21), data accessed October 2018]; and Translational Biomarkers in Aging and Dementia [TRIAD, n = 116; 74 cognitively unimpaired, 42 cognitively impaired (MCI n = 16, Alzheimer's disease dementia n = 26), data obtained November 2017 to January 2019]. Associations between plasma NfL and imaging-derived measures were examined voxel-wise using linear regression (cross-sectional) and linear mixed effect models (longitudinal). Cross-sectional analyses in both cohorts showed that plasma NfL was associated with PET findings in brain regions typically affected by Alzheimer's disease; associations were specific to amyloid PET in cognitively unimpaired and tau PET in cognitively impaired (P < 0.05). Longitudinal analyses showed that NfL levels were associated with grey/white matter volume loss; grey matter atrophy in cognitively unimpaired was specific to APOE ϵ4 carriers (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that plasma NfL increases in response to amyloid-related neuronal injury in preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease, but is related to tau-mediated neurodegeneration in symptomatic patients. As such, plasma NfL may a useful measure to monitor effects in disease-modifying drug trials.
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5. |
- Leuzy, Antoine, et al.
(author)
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Derivation and utility of an A beta-PET pathology accumulation index to estimate A beta load
- 2020
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In: Neurology. - : LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 95:21, s. E2834-E2844
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective To evaluate a novel beta-amyloid (A beta)-PET-based quantitative measure (A beta accumulation index [A beta index]), including the assessment of its ability to discriminate between participants based on A beta status using visual read, CSF A beta(42)/A beta(40), and post-mortem neuritic plaque burden as standards of truth. Methods One thousand one hundred twenty-one participants (with and without cognitive impairment) were scanned with A beta-PET: Swedish BioFINDER, n = 392, [F-18]flutemetamol; Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), n = 692, [F-18]florbetapir; and a phase 3 end-of-life study, n = 100, [F-18] flutemetamol. The relationships between A beta index and standardized uptake values ratios (SUVR) from A beta-PET were assessed. The diagnostic performances of A beta index and SUVR were compared with visual reads, CSF A beta(42)/A beta(40), and A beta histopathology used as reference standards. Results Strong associations were observed between A beta index and SUVR (R-2: BioFINDER 0.951, ADNI 0.943, end-of-life, 0.916). Both measures performed equally well in differentiating A beta-positive from A beta-negative participants, with areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.979 to 0.991 to detect abnormal visual reads, AUCs of 0.961 to 0.966 to detect abnormal CSF A beta(42)/A beta(40), and AUCs of 0.820 to 0.823 to detect abnormal A beta histopathology. Both measures also showed a similar distribution across postmortem-based A beta phases (based on anti-A beta 4G8 antibodies). Compared to models using visual read alone, the addition of the A beta index resulted in a significant increase in AUC and a decrease in Akaike information criterion to detect abnormal A beta histopathology. Conclusion The proposed A beta index showed a tight association to SUVR and carries an advantage over the latter in that it does not require the definition of regions of interest or the use of MRI. A beta index may thus prove simpler to implement in clinical settings and may also facilitate the comparison of findings using different A beta-PET tracers. Classification of evidence This study provides Class III evidence that the A beta accumulation index accurately differentiates A beta-positive from A beta-negative participants compared to A beta-PET visual reads, CSF A beta(42)/A beta(40), and A beta histopathology.
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6. |
- Leuzy, Antoine, et al.
(author)
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Derivation and utility of an Aβ-PET pathology accumulation index to estimate Aβ load
- 2020
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In: Neurology. - 1526-632X. ; 95:21, s. 2834-2844
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a novel β-amyloid (Aβ)-PET-based quantitative measure (Aβ accumulation index [Aβ index]), including the assessment of its ability to discriminate between participants based on Aβ status using visual read, CSF Aβ42/Aβ40, and post-mortem neuritic plaque burden as standards of truth. METHODS: One thousand one hundred twenty-one participants (with and without cognitive impairment) were scanned with Aβ-PET: Swedish BioFINDER, n = 392, [18F]flutemetamol; Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), n = 692, [18F]florbetapir; and a phase 3 end-of-life study, n = 100, [18F]flutemetamol. The relationships between Aβ index and standardized uptake values ratios (SUVR) from Aβ-PET were assessed. The diagnostic performances of Aβ index and SUVR were compared with visual reads, CSF Aβ42/Aβ40, and Aβ histopathology used as reference standards. RESULTS: Strong associations were observed between Aβ index and SUVR (R2: BioFINDER 0.951, ADNI 0.943, end-of-life, 0.916). Both measures performed equally well in differentiating Aβ-positive from Aβ-negative participants, with areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.979 to 0.991 to detect abnormal visual reads, AUCs of 0.961 to 0.966 to detect abnormal CSF Aβ42/Aβ40, and AUCs of 0.820 to 0.823 to detect abnormal Aβ histopathology. Both measures also showed a similar distribution across postmortem-based Aβ phases (based on anti-Aβ 4G8 antibodies). Compared to models using visual read alone, the addition of the Aβ index resulted in a significant increase in AUC and a decrease in Akaike information criterion to detect abnormal Aβ histopathology. CONCLUSION: The proposed Aβ index showed a tight association to SUVR and carries an advantage over the latter in that it does not require the definition of regions of interest or the use of MRI. Aβ index may thus prove simpler to implement in clinical settings and may also facilitate the comparison of findings using different Aβ-PET tracers. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence that the Aβ accumulation index accurately differentiates Aβ-positive from Aβ-negative participants compared to Aβ-PET visual reads, CSF Aβ42/Aβ40, and Aβ histopathology.
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7. |
- Leuzy, Antoine, et al.
(author)
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Diagnostic Performance of RO948 F 18 Tau Positron Emission Tomography in the Differentiation of Alzheimer Disease from Other Neurodegenerative Disorders
- 2020
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In: JAMA Neurology. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 2168-6149. ; 77:8, s. 955-965
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Importance: The diagnostic performance of second-generation tau positron emission tomographic (PET) tracers is not yet known. Objective: To examine the novel tau PET tracer RO948 F 18 ([18F]RO948) performance in discriminating Alzheimer disease (AD) from non-AD neurodegenerative disorders. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this diagnostic study, 613 participants in the Swedish BioFINDER-2 study were consecutively enrolled in a prospective cross-sectional study from September 4, 2017, to August 28, 2019. Participants included 257 cognitively unimpaired controls, 154 patients with mild cognitive impairment, 100 patients with AD dementia, and 102 with non-AD neurodegenerative disorders. Evaluation included a comparison of tau PET tracer [18F]RO948 with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cerebrospinal fluid and a head-to-head comparison between [18F]RO948 and flortaucipir F 18 ([18F]flortaucipir) in patients with semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA). Exposures: [18F]RO948 (all patients) and [18F]flortaucipir (3 patients with svPPA) tau PET; MRI (hippocampal volume, composite temporal lobe cortical thickness, whole-brain cortical thickness) and cerebrospinal fluid measures (p-tau181 and amyloid Aβ42 and Aβ40 ratio[Aβ42/Aβ40], and Aβ42/p-tau181 ratio). Main Outcomes and Measures: Standard uptake value ratios (SUVRs) in 4 predefined regions of interest (ROIs) reflecting Braak staging scheme for tau pathology and encompass I-II (entorhinal cortex), III-IV (inferior/middle temporal, fusiform gyrus, parahippocampal cortex, and amygdala), I-IV, and V-VI (widespread neocortical areas), area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values, and subtraction images between [18F]RO948 and [18F]flortaucipir. Results: Diagnostic groups among the 613 participants included cognitively unimpaired (mean [SD] age, 65.8 [12.1] years; 117 men [46%]), mild cognitive impairment (age, 70.8 [8.3] years; 82 men [53%]), AD dementia (age, 73.5 [6.7] years; 57 men [57%]), and non-AD disorders (age, 70.5 [8.6] years; 41 men [40%]). Retention of [18F]RO948 was higher in AD dementia compared with all other diagnostic groups. [18F]RO948 could distinguish patients with AD dementia from individuals without cognitive impairment and those with non-AD disorders, and the highest AUC was obtained using the I-IV ROI (AUC = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99 for AD vs no cognitive impairment and AUC = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-0.99 for AD vs non-AD disorders), which outperformed MRI (highest AUC = 0.91 for AD vs no cognitive impairment using whole-brain thickness, and AUC = 0.80 for AD vs non-AD disorders using temporal lobe thickness) and cerebrospinal fluid measures (highest AUC = 0.94 for AD vs no cognitive impairment using Aβ42/p-tau181, and AUC = 0.93 for AD vs non-AD disorders using Aβ42/Aβ40). Generally, tau PET positivity using [18F]RO948 was observed only in Aβ-positive cases or in MAPT R406W mutation carriers. Retention of [18F]RO948 was not pronounced in patients with svPPA, and head-to-head comparison revealed lower temporal lobe uptake than with [18F]flortaucipir. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, elevated [18F]RO948 SUVRs were most often seen among Aβ-positive cases, which suggests that [18F]RO948 has high specificity for AD-type tau and highlights its potential as a diagnostic marker in the differential diagnosis of AD.
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8. |
- Leuzy, Antoine, et al.
(author)
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Validation of a spatial normalization method using a principal component derived adaptive template for [18F]florbetaben PET
- 2020
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In: American Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. - : E-CENTURY PUBLISHING CORP. - 2160-8407. ; 10:4, s. 161-167
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Quantification may help in the context of amyloid-beta positron emission tomography (PET). Quantification typically requires that PET images be spatially normalized, a process that can be subject to bias. We herein aimed to test whether a principal component approach (PCA) previously applied to [F-18]flutemetamol PET extends to [F-18] florbetaben. PCA was applied to [F-18]florbetaben PET data for 132 subjects (70 Alzheimer dementia, 62 controls) and used to generate an adaptive synthetic template. Spatial normalization of [F-18]florbetaben data using this approach was compared to that achieved using SPM12's magnetic resonance (MR) imaging driven algorithm. The two registration methods showed high agreement and minimal difference in standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) (R-2 = 0.997 using cerebellum as reference region and 0.996 using the pons). Our method allows for robust and accurate registration of [F-18]florbetaben images to template space, without the need for an MR image, and may prove of value in clinical and research settings.
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9. |
- Mattsson-Carlgren, Niklas, et al.
(author)
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The implications of different approaches to define AT(N) in Alzheimer disease
- 2020
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In: Neurology. - 1526-632X. ; 94:21, s. 2233-2244
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To compare different β-amyloid (Aβ), tau, and neurodegeneration (AT[N]) variants within the Swedish BioFINDER studies. METHODS: A total of 490 participants were classified into AT(N) groups. These include 53 cognitively unimpaired (CU) and 48 cognitively impaired (CI) participants (14 mild cognitive impairment [MCI] and 34 Alzheimer disease [AD] dementia) from BioFINDER-1 and 389 participants from BioFINDER-2 (245 CU and 144 CI [138 MCI and 6 AD dementia]). Biomarkers for A were CSF Aβ42 and amyloid-PET ([18F]flutemetamol); for T, CSF phosphorylated tau (p-tau) and tau PET ([18F]flortaucipir); and for (N), hippocampal volume, temporal cortical thickness, and CSF neurofilament light (NfL). Binarization of biomarkers was achieved using cutoffs defined in other cohorts. The relationship between different AT(N) combinations and cognitive trajectories (longitudinal Mini-Mental State Examination scores) was examined using linear mixed modeling and coefficient of variation. RESULTS: Among CU participants, A-T-(N)- or A+T-(N)- variants were most common. However, more T+ cases were seen using p-tau than tau PET. Among CI participants, A+T+(N)+ was more common; however, more (N)+ cases were seen for MRI measures relative to CSF NfL. Tau PET best predicted longitudinal cognitive decline in CI and p-tau in CU participants. Among CI participants, continuous T (especially tau PET) and (N) measures improved the prediction of cognitive decline compared to binary measures. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that different AT(N) variants are not interchangeable, and that optimal variants differ by clinical stage. In some cases, dichotomizing biomarkers may result in loss of important prognostic information.
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10. |
- Palmqvist, Sebastian, et al.
(author)
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Discriminative Accuracy of Plasma Phospho-tau217 for Alzheimer Disease vs Other Neurodegenerative Disorders
- 2020
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In: Jama-Journal of the American Medical Association. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 0098-7484. ; 324:8, s. 772-781
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Key PointsQuestionWhat is the discriminative accuracy of plasma phospho-tau217 (P-tau217) for differentiating Alzheimer disease from other neurodegenerative disorders? FindingsIn this cross-sectional study that included 1402 participants from 3 selected cohorts, plasma P-tau217 discriminated Alzheimer disease from other neurodegenerative diseases (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.89 in a neuropathologically defined cohort and 0.96 in a clinically defined cohort), with performance that was significantly better than established Alzheimer disease plasma- and MRI-based biomarkers but not significantly different from key CSF- or PET-based biomarkers. MeaningAlthough plasma P-tau217 was able to discriminate Alzheimer disease from other neurodegenerative diseases, further research is needed to validate the findings in unselected and diverse populations, optimize the assay, and determine its potential role in clinical care. ImportanceThere are limitations in current diagnostic testing approaches for Alzheimer disease (AD). ObjectiveTo examine plasma tau phosphorylated at threonine 217 (P-tau217) as a diagnostic biomarker for AD. Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThree cross-sectional cohorts: an Arizona-based neuropathology cohort (cohort 1), including 34 participants with AD and 47 without AD (dates of enrollment, May 2007-January 2019); the Swedish BioFINDER-2 cohort (cohort 2), including cognitively unimpaired participants (n=301) and clinically diagnosed patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (n=178), AD dementia (n=121), and other neurodegenerative diseases (n=99) (April 2017-September 2019); and a Colombian autosomal-dominant AD kindred (cohort 3), including 365 PSEN1 E280A mutation carriers and 257 mutation noncarriers (December 2013-February 2017). ExposuresPlasma P-tau217. Main Outcomes and MeasuresPrimary outcome was the discriminative accuracy of plasma P-tau217 for AD (clinical or neuropathological diagnosis). Secondary outcome was the association with tau pathology (determined using neuropathology or positron emission tomography [PET]). ResultsMean age was 83.5 (SD, 8.5) years in cohort 1, 69.1 (SD, 10.3) years in cohort 2, and 35.8 (SD, 10.7) years in cohort 3; 38% were women in cohort 1, 51% in cohort 2, and 57% in cohort 3. In cohort 1, antemortem plasma P-tau217 differentiated neuropathologically defined AD from non-AD (area under the curve [AUC], 0.89 [95% CI, 0.81-0.97]) with significantly higher accuracy than plasma P-tau181 and neurofilament light chain (NfL) (AUC range, 0.50-0.72; P<.05). The discriminative accuracy of plasma P-tau217 in cohort 2 for clinical AD dementia vs other neurodegenerative diseases (AUC, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.93-0.98]) was significantly higher than plasma P-tau181, plasma NfL, and MRI measures (AUC range, 0.50-0.81; P<.001) but not significantly different compared with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) P-tau217, CSF P-tau181, and tau-PET (AUC range, 0.90-0.99; P>.15). In cohort 3, plasma P-tau217 levels were significantly greater among PSEN1 mutation carriers, compared with noncarriers, from approximately 25 years and older, which is 20 years prior to estimated onset of MCI among mutation carriers. Plasma P-tau217 levels correlated with tau tangles in participants with (Spearman rho =0.64; P<.001), but not without (Spearman =0.15; P=.33), beta -amyloid plaques in cohort 1. In cohort 2, plasma P-tau217 discriminated abnormal vs normal tau-PET scans (AUC, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.91-0.96]) with significantly higher accuracy than plasma P-tau181, plasma NfL, CSF P-tau181, CSF A beta 42:A beta 40 ratio, and MRI measures (AUC range, 0.67-0.90; P<.05), but its performance was not significantly different compared with CSF P-tau217 (AUC, 0.96; P=.22). Conclusions and RelevanceAmong 1402 participants from 3 selected cohorts, plasma P-tau217 discriminated AD from other neurodegenerative diseases, with significantly higher accuracy than established plasma- and MRI-based biomarkers, and its performance was not significantly different from key CSF- or PET-based measures. Further research is needed to optimize the assay, validate the findings in unselected and diverse populations, and determine its potential role in clinical care. This cross-sectional study compares the accuracy of plasma tau phosphorylated at threonine 217 (P-tau217) levels vs other plasma-, MRI-, CSF-, and PET-based markers for distinguishing Alzheimer from other neurodegenerative diseases in 3 cohorts in Arizona, Sweden, and Columbia with or at risk for dementia.
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