Added value of 18F-florbetaben amyloid PET in the diagnostic workup of most complex patients with dementia in France: A naturalistic study.

INTRODUCTION: Although some studies have previously addressed the clinical impact of amyloid positron emission tomography (PET), none has specifically addressed its selective and hierarchical implementation in relation to cerebrospinal fluid analysis in a naturalistic setting. METHODS: This multicenter study was performed at French tertiary memory clinics in patients presenting with most complex clinical situations (i.e., early-onset, atypical clinical profiles, suspected mixed etiological conditions, unexpected rate of progression), for whom cerebrospinal fluid analysis was indicated but either not feasible or considered as noncontributory (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02681172). RESULTS: Two hundred five patients were enrolled with evaluable florbetaben PET scans; 64.4% of scans were amyloid positive. PET results led to changed diagnosis and improved confidence in 66.8% and 81.5% of patients, respectively, and altered management in 80.0% of cases. DISCUSSION: High-level improvement of diagnostic certainty and management is provided by selective and hierarchical implementation of florbetaben PET into current standard practices for the most complex dementia cases.

Distinct white matter injury associated with medial temporal lobe atrophy in Alzheimer's versus semantic dementia.

This study aims at further understanding the distinct vulnerability of brain networks in Alzheimer's disease (AD) versus semantic dementia (SD) investigating the white matter injury associated with medial temporal lobe (MTL) atrophy in both conditions. Twenty-six AD patients, twenty-one SD patients, and thirty-nine controls underwent a high-resolution T1-MRI scan allowing to obtain maps of grey matter volume and white matter density. A statistical conjunction approach was used to identify MTL regions showing grey matter atrophy in both patient groups. The relationship between this common grey matter atrophy and white matter density maps was then assessed within each patient group. Patterns of grey matter atrophy were distinct in AD and SD but included a common region in the MTL, encompassing the hippocampus and amygdala. This common atrophy was associated with alterations in different white matter areas in AD versus SD, mainly including the cingulum and corpus callosum in AD, while restricted to the temporal lobe - essentially the uncinate and inferior longitudinal fasciculi - in SD. Complementary analyses revealed that these relationships remained significant when controlling for global atrophy or disease severity. Overall, this study provides the first evidence that atrophy of the same MTL region is related to damage in distinct white matter fibers in AD and SD. These different patterns emphasize the vulnerability of distinct brain networks related to the MTL in these two disorders, which might underlie the discrepancy in their symptoms. These results further suggest differences between AD and SD in the neuropathological processes occurring in the MTL. Hum Brain Mapp 38:1791-1800, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Atrophy, hypometabolism and clinical trajectories in patients with amyloid-negative Alzheimer's disease.

See O'Sullivan and Vann (doi:10.1093/aww166) for a scientific commentary on this article.About 15% of patients clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease do not show high tracer retention on amyloid positon emission tomography imaging. The present study investigates clinical and demographic features, patterns of brain atrophy and hypometabolism and longitudinal clinical trajectories of these patients. Forty amyloid-negative patients carrying a pre-scan diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease dementia from four centres were included (11/29 females/males; mean age = 67 ± 9). Detailed clinical histories, including the clinical diagnoses before and after the amyloid scan and at follow-up, were collected. Patients were classified according to their pre-scan clinical phenotype as amnestic (memory predominant), non-amnestic (predominant language, visuospatial or frontal symptoms), or non-specific (diffuse cognitive deficits). Demographic, clinical, neuropsychological, magnetic resonance imaging and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positon emission tomography data were compared to 27 amyloid-positive typical Alzheimer's disease cases (14/13 females/males; mean age = 71 ± 10) and 29 amyloid-negative controls (15/14 females/males; mean age = 69 ± 12) matched for age, gender and education. There were 21 amnestic, 12 non-amnestic, and seven non-specific amyloid-negative Alzheimer's disease cases. Amyloid-negative subgroups did not differ in age, gender or education. After the amyloid scan, clinicians altered the diagnosis in 68% of amyloid-negative patients including 48% of amnestic versus 94% of non-amnestic and non-specific cases. Amnestic amyloid-negative cases were most often reclassified as frontotemporal dementia, non-amnestic as frontotemporal dementia or corticobasal degeneration, and non-specific as dementia with Lewy bodies or unknown diagnosis. The longer-term clinical follow-up was consistent with the post-scan diagnosis in most cases (90%), including in amnestic amyloid-negative cases whose post-positon emission tomography diagnosis remained Alzheimer's disease. While the non-amnestic and non-specific amyloid-negative cases usually showed patterns of atrophy and hypometabolism suggestive of another degenerative disorder, the amnestic amyloid-negative cases had subtle atrophy and hypometabolism, restricted to the retrosplenial/posterior cingulate cortex. Patients with a negative amyloid positon emission tomography scan following an initial clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease have heterogeneous clinical presentations and neuroimaging profiles; a majority showed a clinical progression that was consistent with a neurodegenerative condition. In contrast, in the subgroup of amnestic amyloid-negative cases, the clinical presentation and follow-up usually remained consistent with Alzheimer's disease. An alternative diagnosis was not made in about half of the amnestic amyloid-negative cases, highlighting the need for a clinical framework and terminology to define these patients, who may have underlying limbic-predominant, non-amyloid-related pathologies.

Subjective cognitive decline in cognitively normal elders from the community or from a memory clinic: Differential affective and imaging correlates.

INTRODUCTION: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) could indicate preclinical Alzheimer's disease, but the existing literature is confounded by heterogeneous approaches to studying SCD. We assessed the differential cognitive, affective, and neuroimaging correlates of two aspects of SCD: reporting high cognitive difficulties on a self-rated questionnaire versus consulting at a memory clinic. METHODS: We compared 28 patients from a memory clinic with isolated SCD, 35 community-recruited elders with similarly high levels of self-reported cognitive difficulties, and 35 community-recruited controls with low self-reported cognitive difficulties. RESULTS: Increased anxiety and amyloid ß deposition were observed in both groups with high self-reported difficulties, whereas subclinical depression and (hippocampal) atrophy were specifically associated with medical help seeking. Cognitive tests showed no group differences. DISCUSSION: These results further validate the concept of SCD in both community- and clinic-based groups. Yet, recruitment methods influence associated biomarkers and affective symptomatology, highlighting the heterogeneous nature of SCD depending on study characteristics.

Anosognosia in Alzheimer disease: Disconnection between memory and self-related brain networks.

OBJECTIVE: Impaired awareness is a common symptom in many mental disorders including Alzheimer disease (AD). This study aims at improving our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying anosognosia of memory deficits in AD by combining measures of regional brain metabolism (resting state fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography [FDG-PET]) and intrinsic connectivity (resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI]). METHODS: Twenty-three patients diagnosed with probable AD based on clinical and biomarker data and 30 matched healthy control subjects were recruited in this study. An anosognosia index (difference between subjective and objective memory scores) was obtained in each participant. Resting state FDG-PET for glucose metabolism measurement and resting state fMRI for intrinsic connectivity measurement were also performed. AD and control groups were compared on behavioral data, and voxelwise correlations between anosognosia and neuroimaging data were conducted within the AD group. RESULTS: AD patients underestimated their memory deficits. Anosognosia in AD patients correlated with hypometabolism in orbitofrontal (OFC) and posterior cingulate (PCC) cortices. Using OFC and PCC as seed regions, intrinsic connectivity analyses in AD revealed a significant association between anosognosia and reduced intrinsic connectivity between these regions as well as with the medial temporal lobe. INTERPRETATION: Anosognosia in AD is due not only to functional changes within cortical midline structures involved in self-referential processes (OFC, PCC), but also to disconnection between these regions as well as with the medial temporal lobe. These findings suggest that the lack of awareness of memory deficits in AD results from a disruption of the communication within, but also between, the self-related and the memory-related brain networks.

Episodic feeling-of-knowing relies on noncriterial recollection and familiarity: Evidence using an online remember-know procedure.

We examined the hypothesis that feeling-of-knowing judgments rely on recollection as well as on familiarity prompted by the cue presentation. A remember-know-no memory procedure was combined with the episodic FOK procedure employing a cue-target pair memory task. The magnitude of FOK judgments and FOK accuracy were examined as a function of recollection, familiarity, or the "no memory" option. Results showed that the proportion of R and K responses was similar. FOK accuracy and magnitude of FOK judgments were higher for R and K responses than for N responses. FOK accuracy related to R and K responses were above chance level, but FOK was not accurate in the "no memory" condition. Finally, both FOK magnitude and FOK accuracy were related more to recollection than to familiarity. These results support the hypothesis that both recollection and familiarity are determinants of the FOK process, although they suggest that recollection has a stronger influence.

Effects of age and Alzheimer's disease on hippocampal subfields: comparison between manual and FreeSurfer volumetry.

Growing interest has developed in hippocampal subfield volumetry over the past few years and an increasing number of studies use the automatic segmentation algorithm implemented in FreeSurfer. However, this approach has not been validated on standard resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) as used in most studies. We aimed at comparing hippocampal subfield segmentation using FreeSurfer on standard T1-weighted images versus manual delineation on dedicated high-resolution hippocampal scans. Hippocampal subfields were segmented in 133 individuals including 98 cognitively normal controls aged 19-84 years, 17 mild cognitive impairment and 18 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients using both methods. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots were computed to assess the consistency between both methods, and the effects of age and diagnosis were assessed from both measures. Low to moderate ICC (0.31-0.74) were found for the subiculum and other subfields as well as for the whole hippocampus, and the correlations were very low for cornu ammonis (CA)1 (<0.1). FreeSurfer CA1 volume estimates were found to be much lower than those obtained from manual segmentation, and this bias was proportional to the volume of this structure so that no effect of age or AD could be detected on FreeSurfer CA1 volumes. This study points to the differences in the anatomic definition of the subfields between FreeSurfer and manual delineation, especially for CA1, and provides clue for improvement of this automatic technique for potential clinical application on standard T1-weighted MR.

A conceptual framework for research on subjective cognitive decline in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

There is increasing evidence that subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in individuals with unimpaired performance on cognitive tests may represent the first symptomatic manifestation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The research on SCD in early AD, however, is limited by the absence of common standards. The working group of the Subjective Cognitive Decline Initiative (SCD-I) addressed this deficiency by reaching consensus on terminology and on a conceptual framework for research on SCD in AD. In this publication, research criteria for SCD in pre-mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are presented. In addition, a list of core features proposed for reporting in SCD studies is provided, which will enable comparability of research across different settings. Finally, a set of features is presented, which in accordance with current knowledge, increases the likelihood of the presence of preclinical AD in individuals with SCD. This list is referred to as SCD plus.

Region-specific hierarchy between atrophy, hypometabolism, and ß-amyloid (Aß) load in Alzheimer's disease dementia.

Gray matter atrophy, glucose hypometabolism, and ß-amyloid Aß deposition are well-described hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, but their relationships are poorly understood. The present study aims to compare the local levels of these three alterations in humans with Alzheimer's disease. Structural magnetic resonance imaging, (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET), and (18)F-florbetapir PET data from 34 amyloid-negative healthy controls and 20 demented patients with a high probability of Alzheimer's disease etiology (attested using neuroimaging biomarkers as recently recommended) were analyzed. For each patient and imaging modality, age-adjusted Z-score maps were computed, and direct between-modality voxelwise comparison and correlation analyses were performed. Significant differences in the levels of atrophy, hypometabolism, and Aß deposition were found in most brain areas, but the hierarchy differed across regions. A cluster analysis revealed distinct subsets of regions: (1) in the hippocampus, atrophy exceeded hypometabolism, whereas Aß load was minimal; (2) in posterior association areas, Aß deposition was predominant, together with high hypometabolism and lower but still significant atrophy; and (3) in frontal regions, Aß deposition was maximal, whereas structural and metabolic alterations were low. Atrophy and hypometabolism significantly correlated in the hippocampus and temporo-parietal cortex, whereas Aß load was not significantly related to either atrophy or hypometabolism. These findings provide direct evidence for regional variations in the hierarchy and relationships between Aß load, hypometabolism, and atrophy. Altogether, these variations probably reflect the differential involvement of region-specific pathological or protective mechanisms, such as the presence of neurofibrillary tangles, disconnection, as well as compensation processes.

Relationships between years of education and gray matter volume, metabolism and functional connectivity in healthy elders.

More educated elders are less susceptible to age-related or pathological cognitive changes. We aimed at providing a comprehensive contribution to the neural mechanism underlying this effect thanks to a multimodal approach. Thirty-six healthy elders were selected based on neuropsychological assessments and cerebral amyloid imaging, i.e. as presenting normal cognition and a negative florbetapir-PET scan. All subjects underwent structural MRI, FDG-PET and resting-state functional MRI scans. We assessed the relationships between years of education and i) gray matter volume, ii) gray matter metabolism and iii) functional connectivity in the brain areas showing associations with both volume and metabolism. Higher years of education were related to greater volume in the superior temporal gyrus, insula and anterior cingulate cortex and to greater metabolism in the anterior cingulate cortex. The latter thus showed both volume and metabolism increases with education. Seed connectivity analyses based on this region showed that education was positively related to the functional connectivity between the anterior cingulate cortex and the hippocampus as well as the inferior frontal lobe, posterior cingulate cortex and angular gyrus. Increased connectivity was in turn related with improved cognitive performances. Reinforcement of the connectivity of the anterior cingulate cortex with distant cortical areas of the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes appears as one of the mechanisms underlying education-related reserve in healthy elders.

Metabolic and structural connectivity within the default mode network relates to working memory performance in young healthy adults.

Studies of functional connectivity suggest that the default mode network (DMN) might be relevant for cognitive functions. Here, we examined metabolic and structural connectivity between major DMN nodes, the posterior cingulate (PCC) and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), in relation to normal working memory (WM). DMN was captured using independent component analysis of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) data from 35 young healthy adults (27.1 ± 5.1 years). Metabolic connectivity, a correlation between FDG uptake in PCC and MPFC, was examined in groups of subjects with (relative to median) low (n=18) and high (n=17) performance on digit span backward test as an index of verbal WM. In addition, fiber tractography based on PCC and MPFC nodes as way points was performed in a subset of subjects. FDG uptake in the DMN nodes did not differ between high and low performers. However, significantly (p=0.01) lower metabolic connectivity was found in the group of low performers. Furthermore, as compared to high performers, low performers showed lower density of the left superior cingulate bundle. Verbal WM performance is related to metabolic and structural connectivity within the DMN in young healthy adults. Metabolic connectivity as quantified with FDG-PET might be a sensitive marker of the normal variability in some cognitive functions.

Relationships between brain metabolism decrease in normal aging and changes in structural and functional connectivity.

Normal aging is characterized by brain glucose metabolism decline predominantly in the prefrontal cortex. The goal of the present study was to assess whether this change was associated with age-related alteration of white matter (WM) structural integrity and/or functional connectivity. FDG-PET data from 40 young and 57 elderly healthy participants from two research centers (n=49/48 in Center 1/2) were analyzed. WM volume from T1-weighted MRI (Center 1), fractional anisotropy from diffusion-tensor imaging (Center 2), and resting-state fMRI data (Center 1) were also obtained. Group comparisons were performed within each imaging modality. Then, positive correlations were assessed, within the elderly, between metabolism in the most affected region and the other neuroimaging modalities. Metabolism decline in the elderly predominated in the left inferior frontal junction (LIFJ). LIFJ hypometabolism was significantly associated with macrostructural and microstructural WM disturbances in long association fronto-temporo-occipital fibers, while no relationship was found with functional connectivity. The findings offer new perspectives to understand normal aging processes and open avenues for future studies to explore causality between age-related metabolism and connectivity changes.

Association of the Informant-Reported Memory Decline With Cognitive and Brain Deterioration Through the Alzheimer Clinical Continuum.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Studies are sparse regarding the association between the informant-reported subjective memory decline (informant report) and Alzheimer disease (AD) biomarkers. This study thus aimed at determining the clinical relevance of the informant report throughout the AD clinical continuum, by assessing its specific relationships with amyloid deposition, cognition, and neurodegeneration. METHODS: Participants from the Imagerie Multimodale de la maladie d'Alzheimer à un stade Précoce (IMAP+) primary cohort and the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) replication cohort were included; all underwent multimodal neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessments. Follow-up data of IMAP+ participants over up to 36 months were also used for longitudinal analyses. The informant report was measured with the Cognitive Difficulties Scale (IMAP+) and Everyday Cognition (ADNI). General linear models were used to assess the cross-sectional associations between the informant report and amyloid-PET, cognitive performances, and neurodegeneration (atrophy and hypometabolism) in Alzheimer signature areas; while longitudinal links were assessed in IMAP+ with linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS: A total of 110 IMAP+ participants were included, including 32 cognitively unimpaired older individuals (controls, age: 70.91 ± 6.57 years, female: 50%), 25 patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD, 65.88 ± 6.64, 40%), 35 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, 72.49 ± 7.5, 34%), and 18 with Alzheimer-type dementia (AD dementia, 68.17 ± 8.59, 28%). Seven hundred thirty-one ADNI participants were included, including 157 controls (74.21 ± 5.95, 55%), 84 with SCD (72.00 ± 5.41, 63%), 369 with MCI (71.84 ± 7.4, 44%), and 121 with AD dementia (74.29 ± 7.75, 40%). In IMAP+, a higher informant report strongly correlated to greater amyloid-PET, specifically in patients with MCI (ß = 0.48, p = 0.003), and to lower cognitive performance in patients with SCD (global cognition, ß = -0.41, p = 0.04) and MCI (memory, ß = -0.37, p = 0.03). Findings in patients with MCI were replicated in the ADNI (amyloid-PET, ß = 0.25, p < 0.001; memory, ß = -0.22, p < 0.001) and extended to neurodegeneration in AD signature areas (ß = -0.2, p < 0.001). Longitudinal analyses in IMAP+ showed links with global cognitive decline over time in patients with MCI (estimate -0.74, SE 0.26, p = 0.005) and SCD (estimate -0.36, SE 0.26, p = 0.02) where a higher baseline informant report also predicted an increased amyloid-PET over time (estimate 0.008, SE 0.003, p = 0.02). DISCUSSION: Altogether, our findings suggest that the informant report is particularly relevant in patients with MCI where it strongly relates to higher amyloid-PET, indicative of impairment due to AD. TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01638949.

Linking self-perceived cognitive functioning questionnaires using item response theory: The subjective cognitive decline initiative.

OBJECTIVE: Self-perceived cognitive functioning, considered highly relevant in the context of aging and dementia, is assessed in numerous ways-hindering the comparison of findings across studies and settings. Therefore, the present study aimed to link item-level self-report questionnaire data from international aging studies. METHOD: We harmonized secondary data from 24 studies and 40 different questionnaires with item response theory (IRT) techniques using a graded response model with a Bayesian estimator. We compared item information curves to identify items with high measurement precision at different levels of the self-perceived cognitive functioning latent trait. Data from 53,030 neuropsychologically intact older adults were included, from 13 English language and 11 non-English (or mixed) language studies. RESULTS: We successfully linked all questionnaires and demonstrated that a single-factor structure was reasonable for the latent trait. Items that made the greatest contribution to measurement precision (i.e., "top items") assessed general and specific memory problems and aspects of executive functioning, attention, language, calculation, and visuospatial skills. These top items originated from distinct questionnaires and varied in format, range, time frames, response options, and whether they captured ability and/or change. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first study to calibrate self-perceived cognitive functioning data of geographically diverse older adults. The resulting item scores are on the same metric, facilitating joint or pooled analyses across international studies. Results may lead to the development of new self-perceived cognitive functioning questionnaires guided by psychometric properties, content, and other important features of items in our item bank. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Plasma Levels of Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator (tPA) in Normal Aging and Alzheimer's Disease: Links With Cognition, Brain Structure, Brain Function and Amyloid Burden.

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is a protease known for its fibrinolytic action but is also involved in physiological and pathophysiological aging processes; including amyloid elimination and synaptic plasticity. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of tPA in cognitive and brain aging. Therefore, we assessed the links between tPA plasma concentration and cognition, structural MRI, FDG-PET and Flobetapir-PET neuroimaging in 155 cognitively unimpaired adults (CUA, aged 20-85 years old) and 32 patients with Alzheimer's disease (ALZ). A positive correlation was found between tPA and age in CUA (p < 0.001), with males showing higher tPA than females (p = 0.05). No significant difference was found between ALZ patients and cognitively unimpaired elders (CUE). Plasma tPA in CUA negatively correlated with global brain volume. No correlation was found with brain FDG metabolism or amyloid deposition. Age-related tPA changes were associated to changes in blood pressure, glycemia and body mass index. Within the ALZ patients, tPA didn't correlate with any cognitive or neuroimaging measures, but only with physiological measures. Altogether our study suggests that increased tPA plasma concentration with age is related to neuronal alterations and cardiovascular risk factors.

Evaluation of tau deposition using 18F-PI-2620 PET in MCI and early AD subjects-a MissionAD tau sub-study.

BACKGROUND: The ability of 18F-PI-2620 PET to measure the spatial distribution of tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been demonstrated in previous studies. The objective of this work was to evaluate tau deposition using 18F-PI-2620 PET in beta-amyloid positive subjects with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild AD dementia and characterize it with respect to amyloid deposition, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) assessment, hippocampal volume, and cognition. METHODS: Subjects with a diagnosis of MCI due to AD or mild AD dementia and a visually amyloid-positive 18F-florbetaben PET scan (n=74, 76 ± 7 years, 38 females) underwent a baseline 18F-PI-2620 PET, T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CSF assessment (Aß42/Aß40 ratio, p-tau, t-tau) (n=22) and several cognitive tests. A 1-year follow-up 18F-PI-2620 PET scans and cognitive assessments were done in 15 subjects. RESULTS: Percentage of visually tau-positive scans increased with amyloid-beta deposition measured in 18F-florbetaben Centiloids (CL) (7.7% (<36 CL), 80% (>83 CL)). 18F-PI-2620 standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) was correlated with increased 18F-florbetaben CL in several regions of interest. Elevated 18F-PI-2620 SUVR (fusiform gyrus) was associated to high CSF p-tau and t-tau (p=0.0006 and p=0.01, respectively). Low hippocampal volume was associated with increased tau load at baseline (p=0.006 (mesial temporal); p=0.01 (fusiform gyrus)). Significant increases in tau SUVR were observed after 12 months, particularly in the mesial temporal cortex, fusiform gyrus, and inferior temporal cortex (p=0.04, p=0.047, p=0.02, respectively). However, no statistically significant increase in amyloid-beta load was measured over the observation time. The MMSE (Recall score), ADAS-Cog14 (Word recognition score), and CBB (One-card learning score) showed the strongest association with tau deposition at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the hypothesis that 18F-PI-2620 PET imaging of neuropathologic tau deposits may reflect underlying neurodegeneration in AD with significant correlations with hippocampal volume, CSF biomarkers, and amyloid-beta load. Furthermore, quantifiable increases in 18F-PI-2620 SUVR over a 12-month period in regions with early tau deposition are consistent with the hypothesis that cortical tau is associated with cognitive impairment. This study supports the utility of 18F-PI-2620 PET to assess tau deposits in an early AD population. Quantifiable tau load and its corresponding increase in early AD cases could be a relevant target engagement marker in clinical trials of anti-amyloid and anti-tau agents. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Data used in this manuscript belong to a tau PET imaging sub-study of the elenbecestat MissionAD Phase 3 program registered in ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT02956486 ;  NCT03036280 ).

Subjective cognitive decline: opposite links to neurodegeneration across the Alzheimer's continuum.

Subjective memory decline is associated with neurodegeneration and increased risk of cognitive decline in participants with no or subjective cognitive impairment, while in patients with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's-type dementia, findings are inconsistent. Our aim was to provide a comprehensive overview of subjective memory decline changes, relative to objective memory performances, and of their relationships with neurodegeneration, across the clinical continuum of Alzheimer's disease. Two hundred participants from the Imagerie Multimodale de la maladie d'Alzheimer à un stade Précoce (IMAP+) primary cohort and 731 participants from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) replication cohort were included. They were divided into four clinical groups (Imagerie Multimodale de la maladie d'Alzheimer à un stade Précoce/Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative): controls (n = 67/147, age: 60-84/60-90, female: 54/55%), patients with subjective cognitive decline (n = 30/84, age: 54-84/65-80, female: 44/63%), mild cognitive impairment (n = 50/369, age: 58-86/55-88, female: 45/44%) or Alzheimer's-type dementia (n = 36/121, age: 51-86/61-90, female: 41/41%). Subjective and objective memory scores, and their difference (i.e. delta score reflecting memory awareness), were compared between groups. Then, voxelwise relationships between subjective memory decline and neuroimaging measures of neurodegeneration [atrophy (T1-MRI) and hypometabolism (18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET)] were assessed across clinical groups and the interactive effect of the level of cognitive impairment within the entire sample was assessed. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex and education, and repeated including only the amyloid-positive participants. In Imagerie Multimodale de la maladie d'Alzheimer à un stade Précoce, the level of subjective memory decline was higher in all patient groups (all P < 0.001) relative to controls, but similar between patient groups. In contrast, objective memory deficits progressively worsened from the subjective cognitive decline to the dementia group (all P < 0.001). Accordingly, the delta score showed a progressive decline in memory awareness across clinical groups (all P < 0.001). Voxelwise analyses revealed opposite relationships between the subjective memory decline score and neurodegeneration across the clinical continuum. In the earliest stages (i.e. patients with subjective cognitive decline or Mini Mental State Examination > 28), greater subjective memory decline was associated with increased neurodegeneration, while in later stages (i.e. patients with mild cognitive impairment, dementia or Mini Mental State Examination < 27) a lower score was related to more neurodegeneration. Similar findings were recovered in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative replication cohort, with slight differences according to the clinical group, and in the amyloid-positive subsamples. Altogether, our findings suggest that the subjective memory decline score should be interpreted differently from normal cognition to dementia. Higher scores might reflect greater neurodegeneration in earliest stages, while in more advanced stages lower scores might reflect decreased memory awareness, i.e. more anosognosia associated with advanced neurodegeneration.

Early detection of amyloid load using 18F-florbetaben PET.

BACKGROUND: A low amount and extent of Aß deposition at early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may limit the use of previously developed pathology-proven composite SUVR cutoffs. This study aims to characterize the population with earliest abnormal Aß accumulation using 18F-florbetaben PET. Quantitative thresholds for the early (SUVRearly) and established (SUVRestab) Aß deposition were developed, and the topography of early Aß deposition was assessed. Subsequently, Aß accumulation over time, progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD dementia, and tau deposition were assessed in subjects with early and established Aß deposition. METHODS: The study population consisted of 686 subjects (n = 287 (cognitively normal healthy controls), n = 166 (subjects with subjective cognitive decline (SCD)), n = 129 (subjects with MCI), and n = 101 (subjects with AD dementia)). Three categories in the Aß-deposition continuum were defined based on the developed SUVR cutoffs: Aß-negative subjects, subjects with early Aß deposition ("gray zone"), and subjects with established Aß pathology. RESULTS: SUVR using the whole cerebellum as the reference region and centiloid (CL) cutoffs for early and established amyloid pathology were 1.10 (13.5 CL) and 1.24 (35.7 CL), respectively. Cingulate cortices and precuneus, frontal, and inferior lateral temporal cortices were the regions showing the initial pathological tracer retention. Subjects in the "gray zone" or with established Aß pathology accumulated more amyloid over time than Aß-negative subjects. After a 4-year clinical follow-up, none of the Aß-negative or the gray zone subjects progressed to AD dementia while 91% of the MCI subjects with established Aß pathology progressed. Tau deposition was infrequent in those subjects without established Aß pathology. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the utility of using two cutoffs for amyloid PET abnormality defining a "gray zone": a lower cutoff of 13.5 CL indicating emerging Aß pathology and a higher cutoff of 35.7 CL where amyloid burden levels correspond to established neuropathology findings. These cutoffs define a subset of subjects characterized by pre-AD dementia levels of amyloid burden that precede other biomarkers such as tau deposition or clinical symptoms and accelerated amyloid accumulation. The determination of different amyloid loads, particularly low amyloid levels, is useful in determining who will eventually progress to dementia. Quantitation of amyloid provides a sensitive measure in these low-load cases and may help to identify a group of subjects most likely to benefit from intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Data used in this manuscript belong to clinical trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT00928304 , NCT00750282 , NCT01138111 , NCT02854033 ) and EudraCT (2014-000798-38).

The role of metamemory on cognitive complaints in cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: Although cancer patients frequently report cognitive disturbances, it is commonly asserted a lack of association between cognitive complaints and neuropsychological test performances. Our goal was to better understand the relationships between subjective and objective cognitive scores through a metamemory monitoring assessment. METHODS: Sixty cancer patients currently treated by chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy, and 30 healthy controls (HC) were included. Cognitive complaint was assessed by FACT-cog, QAM and DEX questionnaires. One or more z-scores ≤-1.65 among these three questionnaires defined the presence of cognitive complaints. Objective cognitive performances assessed episodic memory, processing speed and executive functions/working memory (ESR paradigm, TMT, Stroop, n-back). Metamemory was assessed with a Judgment of Learning (JOL) task. RESULTS: Patients with cognitive complaints had significantly more depressive and anxiety symptoms (ps < .004), and lower performances on several cognitive tests (ps < .05) than both patients without complaints and HC. More specifically, analyses of the metamemory scores revealed that HC gave significantly more overestimations ("Yes" judgment and incorrect recall) than patients with cognitive complaints (p = .036). For these patients, JOL scores correlated positively with executive functioning (ps < .01). CONCLUSION: Metamemory monitoring seems to be well-preserved during cancer. What is more, patients make less overestimation than HC, and they do not underestimate their memory. An accurate self-estimation of memory abilities in cancer patients, particularly those with mild cognitive deficits, may play an adaptive function. Our results suggest that the discrepancy frequently reported between cognitive complaints and objective cognitive scores may not be related to metamemory monitoring dysfunction.

Tau PET imaging with 18F-PI-2620 in Patients with Alzheimer Disease and Healthy Controls: A First-in-Humans Study.

18F-PI-2620 is a PET tracer with high binding affinity for aggregated tau, a key pathologic feature of Alzheimer disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Preclinically, 18F-PI-2620 binds to both 3-repeat and 4-repeat tau isoforms. The purpose of this first-in-humans study was to evaluate the ability of 18F-PI-2620 to detect tau pathology in AD patients using PET imaging, as well as to assess the safety and tolerability of this new tau PET tracer. Methods: Participants with a clinical diagnosis of probable AD and healthy controls (HCs) underwent dynamic 18F-PI-2620 PET imaging for 180 min. 18F-PI-2620 binding was assessed visually and quantitatively using distribution volume ratios (DVR) estimated from noninvasive tracer kinetics and SUV ratio (SUVR) measured at different time points after injection, with the cerebellar cortex as the reference region. Time-activity curves and SUVR were assessed in AD and HC subjects, as well as DVR and SUVR correlations and effect size (Cohen's d) over time. Results:18F-PI-2620 showed peak brain uptake around 5 min after injection and fast washout from nontarget regions. In AD subjects, focal asymmetric uptake was evident in temporal and parietal lobes, precuneus, and posterior cingulate cortex. DVR and SUVR in these regions were significantly higher in AD subjects than in HCs. Very low background signal was observed in HCs. 18F-PI-2620 administration was safe and well tolerated. SUVR time-activity curves in most regions and subjects achieved a secular equilibrium after 40 min after injection. A strong correlation (R2 > 0.93) was found between noninvasive DVR and SUVR for all imaging windows starting at more than 30 min after injection. Similar effect sizes between AD and HC groups were obtained across the different imaging windows. 18F-PI-2620 uptake in neocortical regions significantly correlated with the degree of cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Initial clinical data obtained in AD and HC subjects demonstrated a high image quality and excellent signal-to-noise ratio of 18F-PI-2620 PET for imaging tau deposition in AD subjects. Noninvasive quantification using DVR and SUVR for 30-min imaging windows between 30 and 90 min after injection-for example, 45-75 min-provides robust and significant discrimination between AD and HC subjects. 18F-PI-2620 uptake in expected regions correlates strongly with neurocognitive performance.