Neuropsychological measures that detect early impairment and decline in preclinical Alzheimer disease.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Schindler SE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5505233 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Neuropsychological measures that detect early impairment and decline in preclinical Alzheimer disease.
Schindler Suzanne E SE Jasielec Mateusz S MS Weng Hua H Hassenstab Jason J JJ Grober Ellen E McCue Lena M LM Morris John C JC Holtzman David M DM Xiong Chengjie C Fagan Anne M AM
Neurobiology of aging 20170414
Identifying which neuropsychological measures detect early cognitive changes associated with Alzheimer disease (AD), brain pathology would be helpful clinically for the diagnosis of early AD and for the design of clinical trials. We evaluated which neuropsychological measures in our cognitive battery are most strongly associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of AD brain pathology. We studied a large cohort (n = 233) of middle-to older-aged community-dwelling individuals (mean age 61 ...[more]
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Project description:ObjectiveTo determine the time required for a preclinical Alzheimer disease population to decline in a meaningful way, use estimates of decline to update previous clinical trial design assumptions, and identify factors that modify β-amyloid (Aβ)-related decline.MethodsIn 1,120 cognitively unimpaired individuals from 3 international cohorts, we estimated the relationship between Aβ status and longitudinal changes across multiple cognitive domains and assessed interactions between Aβ and baseline factors. Power analyses were performed to explore sample size as a function of treatment effect.ResultsCognitively unimpaired Aβ+ participants approach mild cognitive impairment (MCI) levels of performance 6 years after baseline, on average. Achieving 80% power in a simulated 4-year treatment trial, assuming a 25% treatment effect, required 2,000 participants/group. Multiple factors interacted with Aβ to predict cognitive decline; however, these findings were all cohort-specific. Despite design differences across the cohorts, with large sample sizes and sufficient follow-up time, the Aβ+ groups declined consistently on cognitive composite measures.ConclusionsA preclinical AD population declines to the cognitive performance of an early MCI population in 6 years. Slowing this rate of decline by 40%-50% delays clinically relevant impairment by 3 years-a potentially meaningful treatment effect. However, assuming a 40%-50% drug effect highlights the difficulties in preclinical AD trial design, as a more commonly assumed treatment effect of 25% results in a required sample size of 2,000/group. Designers of preclinical AD treatment trials need to prepare for larger and longer trials than are currently being considered. Interactions with Aβ status were inconsistent and not readily generalizable.
| S-EPMC6669933 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To evaluate cognitive performance among persons who did and did not develop clinical Alzheimer disease (AD) but had AD neuropathology at autopsy, we examined neuropsychological performance in cognitively healthy (Clinical Dementia Rating [CDR] = 0) participants who returned for at least 1 follow-up and died within 2 years of their last assessment. Nonprogressors remained at CDR = 0 until death; progressors developed symptomatic AD during life (CDR > 0). Cognitive performance at baseline was compared between progressors and nonprogressors on a global cognitive composite and 4 domain-specific composites (episodic memory, language, attention/working memory, and executive function). Models adjusted for age, education, sex, and non-AD neuropathology. Progressors (n = 173) had worse performance than nonprogressors (n = 141) in nearly all cognitive domains. Progressors scored lower on composites of global cognition (P < 0.001), executive function (P = 0.0006), language (P < 0.0001), and episodic memory (P = 0.0006) but not on attention/working memory (P = 0.91). These data indicate that individuals with underlying AD neuropathology who are clinically healthy but who later develop symptomatic AD have worse performance in a wide range of domains versus individuals with underlying AD neuropathology who are clinically healthy but do not become symptomatic during life. Therefore, subtle cognitive decline at baseline may indicate an increased risk of progression to symptomatic AD.
| S-EPMC4610245 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC6486120 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo determine whether a decline in cued recall is observable in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer disease (AD) in clinically normal older adults with elevated ?-amyloid (A?) burden on PET imaging.MethodsClinically normal older adults underwent baseline neuroimaging (PET to assess A?+/- status and MRI) and annual neuropsychological testing. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the relative risk of cued memory decline (drop of 1, 2, 3, or 4 points on the total score of the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test) in relation to neuroimaging measures, functional status, age, sex, and education.ResultsA total of 276 older adults (Clinical Dementia Rating = 0, mean Mini-Mental State Examination score = 29 ± 1.06) were followed up for a mean of 3.6 ± 1.2 years. Despite the infrequency of cued memory decline (only 19% of participants scored ?46/48 in total recall by year 3), A?+ participants were 3.55 times (95% confidence interval = 1.77-7.12) more likely to exhibit decline in total recall (?46/48) compared with their A?- peers. Furthermore, A?+ participants who scored ?46/48 had smaller hippocampal volumes (t = 3.37, p = 0.001) and evidence of early functional decline, i.e., greater risk of progression to global Clinical Dementia Rating of 0.5 (?2 = 14.30, p < 0.001), compared with their A?+ peers with intact total recall.ConclusionsCued memory decline in healthy older adults may be particularly indicative of A?-related decline during the preclinical stage of AD and useful for identifying A?+ clinically normal individuals at greatest risk of short-term clinical progression.
| S-EPMC5386436 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo examine the utility of resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) measurements of network integrity as a predictor of future cognitive decline in preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD).MethodsA total of 237 clinically normal older adults (aged 63-90 years, Clinical Dementia Rating 0) underwent baseline ?-amyloid (A?) imaging with Pittsburgh compound B PET and structural and rs-fcMRI. We identified 7 networks for analysis, including 4 cognitive networks (default, salience, dorsal attention, and frontoparietal control) and 3 noncognitive networks (primary visual, extrastriate visual, motor). Using linear and curvilinear mixed models, we used baseline connectivity in these networks to predict longitudinal changes in preclinical Alzheimer cognitive composite (PACC) performance, both alone and interacting with A? burden. Median neuropsychological follow-up was 3 years.ResultsBaseline connectivity in the default, salience, and control networks predicted longitudinal PACC decline, unlike connectivity in the dorsal attention and all noncognitive networks. Default, salience, and control network connectivity was also synergistic with A? burden in predicting decline, with combined higher A? and lower connectivity predicting the steepest curvilinear decline in PACC performance.ConclusionsIn clinically normal older adults, lower functional connectivity predicted more rapid decline in PACC scores over time, particularly when coupled with increased A? burden. Among examined networks, default, salience, and control networks were the strongest predictors of rate of change in PACC scores, with the inflection point of greatest decline beyond the fourth year of follow-up. These results suggest that rs-fcMRI may be a useful predictor of early, AD-related cognitive decline in clinical research settings.
| S-EPMC5496516 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceAlzheimer disease (AD) pathology starts with a prolonged phase of β-amyloid (Aβ) accumulation without symptoms. The duration of this phase differs greatly among individuals. While this disease phase has high relevance for clinical trial designs, it is currently unclear how to best predict the onset of clinical progression.ObjectiveTo evaluate combinations of different plasma biomarkers for predicting cognitive decline in Aβ-positive cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals.Design, setting, and participantsThis prospective population-based prognostic study evaluated data from 2 prospective longitudinal cohort studies (the Swedish BioFINDER-1 and the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer Prevention [WRAP]), with data collected from February 8, 2010, to October 21, 2020, for the BioFINDER-1 cohort and from August 11, 2011, to June 27, 2021, for the WRAP cohort. Participants were CU individuals recruited from memory clinics who had brain Aβ pathology defined by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ42/40 in the BioFINDER-1 study and by Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) in the WRAP study. A total of 564 eligible Aβ-positive and Aβ-negative CU participants with available relevant data from the BioFINDER-1 and WRAP cohorts were included in the study; of those, 171 Aβ-positive participants were included in the main analyses.ExposuresBaseline P-tau181, P-tau217, P-tau231, glial fibrillary filament protein, and neurofilament light measured in plasma; CSF biomarkers in the BioFINDER-1 cohort, and PiB PET uptake in the WRAP cohort.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was longitudinal measures of cognition (using the Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] and the modified Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite [mPACC]) over a median of 6 years (range, 2-10 years). The secondary outcome was conversion to AD dementia. Baseline biomarkers were used in linear regression models to predict rates of longitudinal cognitive change (calculated separately). Models were adjusted for age, sex, years of education, apolipoprotein E ε4 allele status, and baseline cognition. Multivariable models were compared based on model R2 coefficients and corrected Akaike information criterion.ResultsAmong 171 Aβ-positive CU participants included in the main analyses, 119 (mean [SD] age, 73.0 [5.4] years; 60.5% female) were from the BioFINDER-1 study, and 52 (mean [SD] age, 64.4 [4.6] years; 65.4% female) were from the WRAP study. In the BioFINDER-1 cohort, plasma P-tau217 was the best marker to predict cognitive decline in the mPACC (model R2 = 0.41) and the MMSE (model R2 = 0.34) and was superior to the covariates-only models (mPACC: R2 = 0.23; MMSE: R2 = 0.04; P < .001 for both comparisons). Results were validated in the WRAP cohort; for example, plasma P-tau217 was associated with mPACC slopes (R2 = 0.13 vs 0.01 in the covariates-only model; P = .01) and MMSE slopes (R2 = 0.29 vs 0.24 in the covariates-only model; P = .046). Sparse models were identified with plasma P-tau217 as a predictor of cognitive decline. Power calculations for enrichment in hypothetical clinical trials revealed large relative reductions in sample sizes when using plasma P-tau217 to enrich for CU individuals likely to experience cognitive decline over time.Conclusions and relevanceIn this study, plasma P-tau217 predicted cognitive decline in patients with preclinical AD. These findings suggest that plasma P-tau217 may be used as a complement to CSF or PET for participant selection in clinical trials of novel disease-modifying treatments.
| S-EPMC10087054 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Alzheimer Disease (AD) is a pathology suffered by millions of people worldwide and it has a great social and economic impact. Previous studies reported a relationship between alterations in different amino acids and derivatives involved in neurotransmission systems and cognitive impairment. Therefore, in this study the neurotransmission impairment associated to early AD has been evaluated. For this purpose, different amino acids and derivatives were determined in saliva samples from AD patients and healthy subjects, by means of an analytical method based on chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Results showed statistically significant differences in salivary levels for the compounds myo-inositol, creatine and acetylcholine; and other compounds (myo-inositol, glutamine, creatine, acetylcholine) showed significant correlations with some cognitive tests scores. Therefore, these compounds were included in a multivariate analysis and the corresponding diagnosis model showed promising indices (AUC 0.806, sensitivity 61%, specificity 92%). In conclusion, some amino acids and derivatives involved in neurotransmission impairment could be potential biomarkers in early and non-invasive AD detection.
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Project description:Importance:Older age, high levels of ?-amyloid (A?), and the presence of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ?4 allele are risk factors for Alzheimer disease (AD). However, the extent to which increasing age, A?, and ?4 are associated with memory decline remains unclear, and the age at which memory decline begins for A?-positive ?4 carriers and noncarriers has not been determined. Objective:To determine the association of age, A? level, and APOE ?4 with memory decline in a large group of cognitively healthy older adults. Design, Setting, and Participants:This longitudinal observational study included cognitively healthy older adults (age >60 years) enrolled in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) study from March 31, 2006, through March 31, 2017; of 1583 individuals enrolled, 1136 refused or were excluded owing to other criteria (eg, having mild cognitive impairment or AD). Participants underwent A? imaging in research clinics in Perth and Melbourne and more than 72 months of follow-up (at 18-month intervals). The association of age with memory was fitted to a quadratic model. Age was treated as a continuous, time-dependent variable. Exposures:?-Amyloid imaging using positron emission tomography, genotyping for APOE ?4, and longitudinal neuropsychological assessments of episodic memory during the 72-month follow-up. Main Outcomes and Measures:Episodic memory composite score. Results:Of the 447 participants, 203 (45.4%) were men and 244 (54.6%) were women; mean (SD) age was 72.5 (6.6) years. Equal proportions of female participants were observed in each A?-?4 group (24 of 51 A?-positive ?4 noncarriers [47.1%] ; 35 of 64 A?-negative ?4 carriers [54.7%]; 40 of 72 A?-positive ?4 carriers [55.6%]; and 145 of 260 A?-negative ?4 noncarriers [55.8%]). Adults with A? findings (mean [SD] age, 74.4 [6.8] years) were approximately 4 years older than those negative for A? (mean [SD] age, 69.8 [6.1] years). Memory decline diverged significantly from A?-negative ?4 noncarriers at an earlier age in A?-positive ?4 carriers (64.5 years) than in A?-positive ?4 noncarriers (76.5 years), such that by 85 years of age, A?-positive ?4 carriers performed approximately 1.5 SD units worse on the episodic memory composite than A?-negative ?4 noncarriers and approximately 0.8 SD units worse than A?-positive ?4 noncarriers. Memory performance of A?-negative ?4 carriers did not differ from that of the A?-negative ?4 noncarriers (estimate [SE], 0.001 [0.001]; t?=?0.526; P?=?.77). Conclusions and Relevance:Prior work has shown that A? and ?4 combine to influence memory decline in nondemented older adults. Results of this study indicate that increasing age may further exacerbate these effects. The estimates provided may be used to determine the risk of memory decline associated with A? and ?4 at each age.
| S-EPMC5933393 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo examine whether β-amyloid (Aβ) and APOE ε4 status independently contribute or interact to influence longitudinal cognitive decline in clinically normal older individuals (CN).MethodsData from 490 CNs were aggregated across 3 observational cohort studies (Harvard Aging Brain Study, Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, and Australian Imaging Biomarkers and Lifestyle Study of Ageing; median age = 75.0 years, 255 female), and the contributions of APOE ε4 and Aβ on longitudinal change over a median of 1.49 years were examined. Cognitive decline was assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Logical Memory (immediate and delayed recall scores).ResultsHigh Aβ participants were more likely to be APOE ε4+ than low Aβ participants. CNs who were both high Aβ and APOE ε4+ showed greater decline in Logical Memory immediate recall (p < 0.087), Logical Memory delayed recall (p < 0.024), and MMSE (p < 0.034) compared to all other groups (low Aβ/APOE ε4-, low Aβ/APOE ε4+, and high Aβ/APOE ε4-). No other pairwise contrast was significant for any cognitive measure.ConclusionsClinically normal individuals who are APOE ε4+ and have high Aβ showed the highest cognitive decline. These results suggest that Aβ and APOE ε4 are not redundant contributors of decline in aging but rather interact to promote decline during the short follow-up period examined in this study. Longer follow-up periods will be essential to fully elucidate the influence of Alzheimer disease risk factors on cognitive decline in aging.
| S-EPMC4035706 | biostudies-literature
Project description:As Alzheimer disease (AD) research moves to intervene in presymptomatic phases of the disease, we must develop outcome measures sensitive to the earliest disease-related changes.To demonstrate the feasibility of a cognitive composite outcome for clinically normal elderly participants with evidence of AD pathology using the ADCS Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (ADCS-PACC). The ADCS-PACC combines tests that assess episodic memory, timed executive function, and global cognition. The ADCS-PACC is the primary outcome measure for the first clinical trial in preclinical AD (ie, the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer's study).With the ADCS-PACC, we derive pilot estimates of amyloid-related decline using data from 2 observational studies conducted in North America and another conducted in Australia. The participants analyzed had normal cognition and mean ages of 75.81, 71.37, and 79.42 years across the 3 studies.For the 2 studies that collected data on A? levels (ADNI and AIBL), we estimate decline in a preclinical AD "A?-positive" placebo group and compare them with an "A?-negative" group. For the study that did not include data on A? levels (the ADCS Prevention Instrument [ADCS-PI] study), we grouped participants by the presence of APOE-?4 and by clinical progression.In ADNI, A?-positive participants showed more decline than did A?-negative participants with regard to the ADCS-PACC score at 24 months (mean [SE] difference, -1.239 [0.522] [95% CI, -2.263 to -0.215]; P?=?.02). In AIBL, the mean (SE) difference is significant at both 18 months (-1.009 [0.406] [95% CI, -1.805 to -0.213]; P?=?.01) and 36 months (-1.404 [0.452] [95% CI, -2.290 to -0.519]; P?=?.002). In the ADCS-PI study, APOE-?4 allele carriers performed significantly worse on the ADCS-PACC at 24 months (mean [SE] score, -0.742 [0.294] [95% CI, -1.318 to -0.165]; P?=?.01) and 36 months (-1.531 [0.469] [95% CI, -2.450 to -0.612]; P?=?.001). In the ADCS-PI study, cognitively normal participants who progress from a global Clinical Dementia Rating score of 0 are significantly worse on the ADCS-PACC than cognitively normal participants who are stable with a global Clinical Dementia Rating score of 0 at months 12, 24, and 36 (mean [SE] ADCS-PACC score, -4.471 [0.702] [95% CI, -5.848 to -3.094]; P?<?.001). Using pilot estimates of variance and assuming 500 participants per group with 30% attrition and a 5% ? level, we project 80% power to detect effects in the range of ??=?0.467 to 0.733 on the ADCS-PACC.Analyses of at-risk cognitively normal populations suggest that we can reliably measure the first signs of cognitive decline with the ADCS-PACC. These analyses also suggest the feasibility of secondary prevention trials.
| S-EPMC4439182 | biostudies-literature