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- Haas, SS, et al.
(author)
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Normative modeling of brain morphometry in Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis
- 2023
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In: bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology. - : Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- ImportanceThe lack of robust neuroanatomical markers of psychosis risk has been traditionally attributed to heterogeneity. A complementary hypothesis is that variation in neuroanatomical measures in the majority of individuals at psychosis risk may be nested within the range observed in healthy individuals.ObjectiveTo quantify deviations from the normative range of neuroanatomical variation in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR-P) and evaluate their overlap with healthy variation and their association with positive symptoms, cognition, and conversion to a psychotic disorder.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsClinical, IQ and FreeSurfer-derived regional measures of cortical thickness (CT), cortical surface area (SA), and subcortical volume (SV) from 1,340 CHR-P individuals [47.09% female; mean age: 20.75 (4.74) years] and 1,237 healthy individuals [44.70% female; mean age: 22.32 (4.95) years] from 29 international sites participating in the ENIGMA Clinical High Risk for Psychosis Working Group.Main Outcomes and MeasuresFor each regional morphometric measure, z-scores were computed that index the degree of deviation from the normative means of that measure in a healthy reference population (N=37,407). Average deviation scores (ADS) for CT, SA, SV, and globally across all measures (G) were generated by averaging the respective regional z-scores. Regression analyses were used to quantify the association of deviation scores with clinical severity and cognition and two-proportion z-tests to identify case-control differences in the proportion of individuals with infranormal (z<-1.96) or supranormal (z>1.96) scores.ResultsCHR-P and healthy individuals overlapped in the distributions of the observed values, regional z-scores, and all ADS vales. The proportion of CHR-P individuals with infranormal or supranormal values in any metric was low (<12%) and similar to that of healthy individuals. CHR-P individuals who converted to psychosis compared to those who did not convert had a higher percentage of infranormal values in temporal regions (5-7% vs 0.9-1.4%). In the CHR-P group, only the ADSSAshowed significant but weak associations (|β|<0.09; PFDR<0.05) with positive symptoms and IQ.Conclusions and RelevanceThe study findings challenge the usefulness of macroscale neuromorphometric measures as diagnostic biomarkers of psychosis risk and suggest that such measures do not provide an adequate explanation for psychosis risk.Key pointsQuestionIs the risk of psychosis associated with brain morphometric changes that deviate significantly from healthy variation?FindingsIn this study of 1340 individuals high-risk for psychosis (CHR-P) and 1237 healthy participants, individual-level variation in macroscale neuromorphometric measures of the CHR-P group was largely nested within healthy variation and was not associated with the severity of positive psychotic symptoms or conversion to a psychotic disorder.MeaningThe findings suggest the macroscale neuromorphometric measures have limited utility as diagnostic biomarkers of psychosis risk.
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- Aranha, M. R., et al.
(author)
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Basal forebrain atrophy along the Alzheimer's disease continuum in adults with Down syndrome
- 2023
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In: Alzheimers & Dementia. - 1552-5260. ; 19:11, s. 4817-4827
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundBasal forebrain (BF) degeneration occurs in Down syndrome (DS)-associated Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the dynamics of BF atrophy with age and disease progression, its impact on cognition, and its relationship with AD biomarkers have not been studied in DS. MethodsWe included 234 adults with DS (150 asymptomatic, 38 prodromal AD, and 46 AD dementia) and 147 euploid controls. BF volumes were extracted from T-weighted magnetic resonance images using a stereotactic atlas in SPM12. We assessed BF volume changes with age and along the clinical AD continuum and their relationship to cognitive performance, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma amyloid/tau/neurodegeneration biomarkers, and hippocampal volume. ResultsIn DS, BF volumes decreased with age and along the clinical AD continuum and significantly correlated with amyloid, tau, and neurofilament light chain changes in CSF and plasma, hippocampal volume, and cognitive performance. DiscussionBF atrophy is a potentially valuable neuroimaging biomarker of AD-related cholinergic neurodegeneration in DS.
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- Iulita, M. F., et al.
(author)
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Association of biological sex with clinical outcomes and biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease in adults with Down syndrome
- 2023
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In: Brain Communications. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2632-1297. ; 5:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The study of sex differences in Alzheimer's disease is increasingly recognized as a key priority in research and clinical development. People with Down syndrome represent the largest population with a genetic link to Alzheimer's disease (>90% in the 7th decade). Yet, sex differences in Alzheimer's disease manifestations have not been fully investigated in these individuals, who are key candidates for preventive clinical trials. In this double-centre, cross-sectional study of 628 adults with Down syndrome [46% female, 44.4 (34.6; 50.7) years], we compared Alzheimer's disease prevalence, as well as cognitive outcomes and AT(N) biomarkers across age and sex. Participants were recruited from a population-based health plan in Barcelona, Spain, and from a convenience sample recruited via services for people with intellectual disabilities in England and Scotland. They underwent assessment with the Cambridge Cognitive Examination for Older Adults with Down Syndrome, modified cued recall test and determinations of brain amyloidosis (CSF amyloid-beta 42 / 40 and amyloid-PET), tau pathology (CSF and plasma phosphorylated-tau181) and neurodegeneration biomarkers (CSF and plasma neurofilament light, total-tau, fluorodeoxyglucose-PET and MRI). We used within-group locally estimated scatterplot smoothing models to compare the trajectory of biomarker changes with age in females versus males, as well as by apolipoprotein.4 carriership. Our work revealed similar prevalence, age at diagnosis and Cambridge Cognitive Examination for Older Adults with Down Syndrome scores by sex, but males showed lower modified cued recall test scores from age 45 compared with females. AT(N) biomarkers were comparable in males and females. When considering apolipoprotein.4, female.4 carriers showed a 3-year earlier age at diagnosis compared with female non-carriers (50.5 versus 53.2 years, P = 0.01). This difference was not seen in males (52.2 versus 52.5 years, P = 0.76). Our exploratory analyses considering sex, apolipoprotein.4 and biomarkers showed that female.4 carriers tended to exhibit lower CSF amyloid-beta 42/amyloid-beta 40 ratios and lower hippocampal volume compared with females without this allele, in line with the clinical difference. This work showed that biological sex did not influence clinical and biomarker profiles of Alzheimer's disease in adults with Down syndrome. Consideration of apolipoprotein.4 haplotype, particularly in females, may be important for clinical research and clinical trials that consider this population. Accounting for, reporting and publishing sex-stratified data, even when no sex differences are found, is central to helping advance precision medicine.
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- Montoliu-Gaya, Laia, et al.
(author)
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Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid glial fibrillary acidic protein levels in adults with Down syndrome: a longitudinal cohort study
- 2023
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In: eBioMedicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-3964. ; 90
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background The diagnosis of symptomatic Alzheimer's disease is a clinical challenge in adults with Down syndrome. Blood biomarkers would be of particular clinical importance in this population. The astrocytic Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) isa marker of astrogliosis associated with amyloid pathology, but its longitudinal changes, association with other biomarkers and cognitive performance have not been studied in individuals with Down syndrome. Methods We performed a three-centre study of adults with Down syndrome, autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease and euploid individuals enrolled in Hospital Sant Pau, Barcelona (Spain), Hospital Clinic, Barcelona (Spain) and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat, Munich (Germany). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma GFAP concentrations were quantified using Simoa. A subset of participants had PET 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, amyloid tracers and MRI measurements. Findings This study included 997 individuals, 585 participants with Down syndrome, 61 Familial Alzheimer's disease mutation carriers and 351 euploid individuals along the Alzheimer's disease continuum, recruited between November 2008 and May 2022. Participants with Down syndrome were clinically classified at baseline as asymp-tomatic, prodromal Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease dementia. Plasma GFAP levels were significantly increased in prodromal and Alzheimer's disease dementia compared to asymptomatic individuals and increased in parallel to CSF A beta changes, ten years prior to amyloid PET positivity. Plasma GFAP presented the highest diagnostic performance to discriminate symptomatic from asymptomatic groups (AUC = 0.93, 95% CI 0.9-0.95) and its con-centrations were significantly higher in progressors vs non-progressors (p < 0.001), showing an increase of 19.8% (11.8-33.0) per year in participants with dementia. Finally, plasma GFAP levels were highly correlated with cortical thinning and brain amyloid pathology. Interpretation Our findings support the utility of plasma GFAP as a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease in adults with Down syndrome, with possible applications in clinical practice and clinical trials.
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- Ashton, Nicholas J., et al.
(author)
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Diagnostic accuracy of the plasma ALZpath pTau217 immunoassay to identify Alzheimer's disease pathology.
- 2023
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In: medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Phosphorylated tau (pTau) is a specific blood biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, with pTau217 considered to have the most utility. However, availability of pTau217 tests for research and clinical use has been limited. Expanding access to this highly accurate AD biomarker is crucial for wider evaluation and implementation of AD blood tests.To determine the utility of a novel and commercially available Single molecule array (Simoa) for plasma pTau217 (ALZpath) to detect AD pathology. To evaluate references ranges for abnormal Aβ across three selected cohorts.Three single-centre observational cohorts were involved in the study: Translational Biomarkers in Aging and Dementia (TRIAD), Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP), and Sant Pau Initiative on Neurodegeneration (SPIN). MRI, Aβ-PET, and tau-PET data were available for TRIAD and WRAP, while CSF biomarkers were additionally measured in a subset of TRIAD and SPIN. Plasma measurements of pTau181, pTau217 (ALZpath), pTau231, Aβ42/40, GFAP, and NfL, were available for all cohorts. Longitudinal blood biomarker data spanning 3 years for TRIAD and 8 years for WRAP were included.MRI, Aβ-PET, tau-PET, CSF biomarkers (Aβ42/40 and pTau immunoassays) and plasma pTau217 (ALZpath Simoa).The accuracy of plasma pTau217 for detecting abnormal amyloid and tau pathology. Longitudinal pTau217 change according to baseline pathology status.The study included 786 participants (mean [SD] age, 66.3 [9.7] years; 504 females [64.1%]) were included in the study. High accuracy was observed in identifying elevated Aβ (AUC, 0.92-0.96; 95%CI 0.89-0.99) and tau pathology (AUC, 0.93-0.97; 95%CI 0.84-0.99) across all cohorts. These accuracies were significantly higher than other plasma biomarker combinations and comparable to CSF biomarkers. The detection of abnormal Aβ pathology using binary or three-range references yielded reproducible results. Longitudinally, plasma pTau217 showed an annual increase only in Aβ-positive individuals, with the highest increase observed in those with tau-positivity.The ALZpath plasma pTau217 Simoa assay accurately identifies biological AD, comparable to CSF biomarkers, with reproducible cut-offs across cohorts. It detects longitudinal changes, including at the preclinical stage, and is the first widely available, accessible, and scalable blood test for pTau217 detection.
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| 11. |
- Fortea, L, et al.
(author)
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Development and Validation of a Smartphone-Based App for the Longitudinal Assessment of Anxiety in Daily Life
- 2023
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In: Assessment. - : SAGE Publications. - 1552-3489 .- 1073-1911. ; 30:4, s. 959-968
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Current methods to assess human anxiety often ignore that anxiety is a dynamic process and have limitations such as high recall bias and low generalizability to real life. Smartphone apps using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) may overcome such limitations. We developed a smartphone app for the longitudinal evaluation of anxiety symptoms using EMA. We assessed the feasibility (retention and compliance) and psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of the app over 6 months in a sample of 99 participants with different levels of anxiety. The EMA-based smartphone app was highly feasible. It showed excellent within-person and between-person reliability, high convergent and moderate discriminant validity, and significant incremental validity. Assessing anxiety longitudinally using a smartphone and following EMA principles is feasible and can be reliable and valid. Studies combining EMA-based anxiety longitudinal assessments with other assessment methods deserve further research and may offer novel insights into human anxiety.
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| 15. |
- Solmi, Marco, et al.
(author)
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Validation of the Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT) questionnaire for adults
- 2023
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In: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : ELSEVIER. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 326, s. 249-261
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The Collaborative Outcome study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT; www.coh-fit.com) is an anonymous and global online survey measuring health and functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to test concurrently the validity of COH-FIT items and the in-ternal validity of the co-primary outcome, a composite psychopathology "P-score". Methods: The COH-FIT survey has been translated into 30 languages (two blind forward-translations, consensus, one independent English back-translation, final harmonization). To measure mental health, 1-4 items ("COH-FIT items") were extracted from validated questionnaires (e.g. Patient Health Questionnaire 9). COH-FIT items measured anxiety, depressive, post-traumatic, obsessive-compulsive, bipolar and psychotic symptoms, as well as stress, sleep and concentration. COH-FIT Items which correlated r >= 0.5 with validated companion question-naires, were initially retained. A P-score factor structure was then identified from these items using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) on data split into training and validation sets. Consistency of results across languages, gender and age was assessed. Results: From >150,000 adult responses by May 6th, 2022, a subset of 22,456 completed both COH-FIT items and validated questionnaires. Concurrent validity was consistently demonstrated across different languages for COH-FIT items. CFA confirmed EFA results of five first-order factors (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic, psychotic, psychophysiologic symptoms) and revealed a single second-order factor P-score, with high internal reliability (omega = 0.95). Factor structure was consistent across age and sex. Conclusions: COH-FIT is a valid instrument to globally measure mental health during infection times. The P-score is a valid measure of multidimensional mental health.
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