Serum Beta-Synuclein Is Higher in Down Syndrome and Precedes Rise of pTau181.

This exploratory case-control study investigates the synaptic marker beta-synuclein in serum and plasma pTau181 in adults with Down syndrome (DS) with (sDS, n = 14) and without (aDS, n = 47) clinical symptoms of Alzheimer disease (AD) as well as euploid controls (n = 23). Beta-synuclein was higher in aDS and more pronounced in sDS (p < 0.0001), whereas pTau181 was only higher in sDS (p < 0.0001). Both markers showed good discriminatory power (area under the curve > 0.90) to distinguish symptomatic from asymptomatic AD. The data indicate that synaptic alterations belong to the earliest AD-associated events in DS and highlight the value of serum beta-synuclein as a potential early marker of AD. ANN NEUROL 2022;92:6-10.

Utility of the Repeat and Point Test for Subtyping Patients With Primary Progressive Aphasia.

BACKGROUND: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) may present with three distinct clinical sybtypes: semantic variant PPA (svPPA), nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA (nfvPPA), and logopenic variant PPA (lvPPA). OBJECTIVE: The aim was to examine the utility of the German version of the Repeat and Point (R&P) Test for subtyping patients with PPA. METHOD: During the R&P Test, the examiner reads out aloud a noun and the participants are asked to repeat the word and subsequently point to the corresponding picture. Data from 204 patients (68 svPPA, 85 nfvPPA, and 51 lvPPA) and 33 healthy controls were analyzed. RESULTS: Controls completed both tasks with >90% accuracy. Patients with svPPA had high scores in repetition (mean=9.2±1.32) but low scores in pointing (mean=6±2.52). In contrast, patients with nfvPPA and lvPPA performed comparably in both tasks with lower scores in repetition (mean=7.4±2.7 for nfvPPA and 8.2±2.34 for lvPPA) but higher scores in pointing (mean=8.9±1.41 for nfvPPA and 8.6±1.62 for lvPPA). The R&P Test had high accuracy discriminating svPPA from nfvPPA (83% accuracy) and lvPPA (79% accuracy). However, there was low accuracy discriminating nfvPPA from lvPPA (<60%). CONCLUSION: The R&P Test helps to differentiate svPPA from 2 nonsemantic variants (nfvPPA and lvPPA). However, additional tests are required for the differentiation of nfvPPA and lvPPA.

[Regression in Young Adults with Down-Syndrome: A Case Series]. / Regression bei jungen Erwachsenen mit einem Down-Syndrom: Eine Fallserie.

BACKGROUND: Regression in young adults with Down syndrome can present itself with an acute loss of acquired skills and change in behavior. The aim of our case series was to describe the heterogeneous clinical presentation of this syndrome as well as accompanying diagnostic and therapeutic challenges and consequences. METHODS: All three patients were assessed with the CAMDEX-DS (Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders of Older People with Down Syndrome and Others with Intellectual Disabilities) and the criteria published by the DSMIG-USA (Down-Syndrome Medical Interest Group USA). RESULTS: After ruling out somatic or other psychiatric causes, the application of the DSMIG-USA criteria resulted in diagnosing at least a probable unexplained regression in all three patients. DISCUSSION: The thorough diagnostic investigation of unexplained acute regression in young adults with Down syndrome allows for quick initiation of therapeutic and supportive measures. Using the DMSIG-USA criteria facilitates the assessment of the underlying diffuse and heterogenous pathology.

In Vivo Assessment of Neuroinflammation in 4-Repeat Tauopathies.

BACKGROUND: Neuroinflammation has received growing interest as a therapeutic target in neurodegenerative disorders, including 4-repeat tauopathies. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate 18 kDa translocator protein positron emission tomography (PET) as a biomarker for microglial activation in the 4-repeat tauopathies corticobasal degeneration and progressive supranuclear palsy. METHODS: Specific binding of the 18 kDa translocator protein tracer 18 F-GE-180 was determined by serial PET during pharmacological depletion of microglia in a 4-repeat tau mouse model. The 18 kDa translocator protein PET was performed in 30 patients with corticobasal syndrome (68 ± 9 years, 16 women) and 14 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (69 ± 9 years, 8 women), and 13 control subjects (70 ± 7 years, 7 women). Group comparisons and associations with parameters of disease progression were assessed by region-based and voxel-wise analyses. RESULTS: Tracer binding was significantly reduced after pharmacological depletion of microglia in 4-repeat tau mice. Elevated 18 kDa translocator protein labeling was observed in the subcortical brain areas of patients with corticobasal syndrome and progressive supranuclear palsy when compared with controls and was most pronounced in the globus pallidus internus, whereas only patients with corticobasal syndrome showed additionally elevated tracer binding in motor and supplemental motor areas. The 18 kDa translocator protein labeling was not correlated with parameters of disease progression in corticobasal syndrome and progressive supranuclear palsy but allowed sensitive detection in patients with 4-repeat tauopathies by a multiregion classifier. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that 18 F-GE-180 PET detects microglial activation in the brain of patients with 4-repeat tauopathy, fitting to predilection sites of the phenotype. The 18 kDa translocator protein PET has a potential for monitoring neuroinflammation in 4-repeat tauopathies. © 2020 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

[Cognition in Down's Syndrome: Development across the Life Span and Neuropsychological Assessment in Adults]. / Kognition bei Down-Syndrom: Entwicklung über die Lebensspanne und neuropsychologische Diagnostik im Erwachsenenalter.

Down's syndrome is the most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disability. As the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease is increased in Down's syndrome, comprehensive cognitive examination is essential, both in young adults (for baseline evaluation), as well as later for diagnosing dementia. So far, there are only a few recommendations for neuropsychological assessment in Down's syndrome. Here, we review (1) the development of cognition across the life span, (2) various causes of cognitive change in adults with Down's syndrome, and (3) procedures available for their evaluation. Furthermore, (4) we provide recommendations for the assessment and interpretation of diagnostic findings in adults with intellectual disabilities. We conclude with recommendations for cognitive assessment in intellectual disability in general.

Metabolic Correlates of Dopaminergic Loss in Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

BACKGROUND: Striatal dopamine deficiency and metabolic changes are well-known phenomena in dementia with Lewy bodies and can be quantified in vivo by 123 I-Ioflupane brain single-photon emission computed tomography of dopamine transporter and 18 F-fluorodesoxyglucose PET. However, the linkage between both biomarkers is ill-understood. OBJECTIVE: We used the hitherto largest study cohort of combined imaging from the European consortium to elucidate the role of both biomarkers in the pathophysiological course of dementia with Lewy bodies. METHODS: We compared striatal dopamine deficiency and glucose metabolism of 84 dementia with Lewy body patients and comparable healthy controls. After normalization of data, we tested their correlation by region-of-interest-based and voxel-based methods, controlled for study center, age, sex, education, and current cognitive impairment. Metabolic connectivity was analyzed by inter-region coefficients stratified by dopamine deficiency and compared to healthy controls. RESULTS: There was an inverse relationship between striatal dopamine availability and relative glucose hypermetabolism, pronounced in the basal ganglia and in limbic regions. With increasing dopamine deficiency, metabolic connectivity showed strong deteriorations in distinct brain regions implicated in disease symptoms, with greatest disruptions in the basal ganglia and limbic system, coincident with the pattern of relative hypermetabolism. CONCLUSIONS: Relative glucose hypermetabolism and disturbed metabolic connectivity of limbic and basal ganglia circuits are metabolic correlates of dopamine deficiency in dementia with Lewy bodies. Identification of specific metabolic network alterations in patients with early dopamine deficiency may serve as an additional supporting biomarker for timely diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies. © 2019 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Additive value of amyloid-PET in routine cases of clinical dementia work-up after FDG-PET.

PURPOSE: In recent years, several [18F]-labeled amyloid-PET tracers have been developed and have obtained clinical approval. Despite their widespread scientific use, studies in routine clinical settings are limited. We therefore investigated the impact of [18F]-florbetaben (FBB)-PET on the diagnostic management of patients with suspected dementia that was still unclarified after [18F]-fluordeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET. METHODS: All subjects were referred in-house with a suspected dementia syndrome due to neurodegenerative disease. After undergoing an FDG-PET exam, the cases were discussed by the interdisciplinary dementia board, where the most likely diagnosis as well as potential differential diagnoses were documented. Because of persistent diagnostic uncertainty, the patients received an additional FBB-PET exam. Results were interpreted visually and classified as amyloid-positive or amyloid-negative, and we then compared the individual clinical diagnoses before and after additional FBB-PET. RESULTS: A total of 107 patients (mean age 69.4 ± 9.7y) were included in the study. The FBB-PET was rated as amyloid-positive in 65/107. In 83% of the formerly unclear cases, a final diagnosis was reached through FBB-PET, and the most likely prior diagnosis was changed in 28% of cases. The highest impact was observed for distinguishing Alzheimer's dementia (AD) from fronto-temporal dementia (FTLD), where FBB-PET altered the most likely diagnosis in 41% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: FBB-PET has a high additive value in establishing a final diagnosis in suspected dementia cases when prior investigations such as FDG-PET are inconclusive. The differentiation between AD and FTLD was particularly facilitated by amyloid-PET, predicting a considerable impact on patient management, especially in the light of upcoming disease-modifying therapies.

Frequency and Longitudinal Course of Behavioral and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Participants With Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms are frequent in patients with genetic frontotemporal dementia (FTD). We aimed to describe behavioral and neuropsychiatric phenotypes in genetic FTD, quantify their temporal association, and investigate their regional association with brain atrophy. METHODS: We analyzed data of pathogenic variant carriers in the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (c9orf72), progranulin (GRN), or microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene from the Genetic Frontotemporal dementia Initiative cohort study that enrolls both symptomatic pathogenic variant carriers and first-degree relatives of known carriers. Principal component analysis was performed to identify behavioral and neuropsychiatric clusters that were compared with respect to frequency and severity between groups. Associations between neuropsychiatric clusters and MRI-assessed atrophy were determined using voxel-based morphometry. We applied linear mixed effects and generalized linear mixed effects models to assess the longitudinal course of symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 522 participants were included: 221 c9orf72 (138 presymptomatic), 213 GRN (157 presymptomatic), and 88 MAPT (62 presymptomatic) pathogenic variant carriers. Principal component analysis revealed 5 phenotypic clusters (67.6% of variance), labeled diverse behavioral, affective, psychotic, euphoric/hypersexual, and tactile hallucinations phenotype. In participants presenting behavioral or neuropsychiatric symptoms, affective symptoms were most frequent across groups (83.6%-88.1%), followed by diverse behavioral symptoms (68.4%-77.9%). In c9orf72 and GRN pathogenic variant carriers, psychotic symptoms (32.0% and 19.4%, respectively) were more frequent than euphoric/hypersexual symptoms (28.7% and 14.2%, respectively), which was the other way around in MAPT pathogenic variant carriers (28.6% and 23.8%). Although diverse behavioral symptoms were associated with gray and white matter frontotemporal atrophy, only a small atrophy cluster in the right thalamus was associated with psychotic symptoms. Euphoric/hypersexual symptoms were associated with atrophy in mesial temporal lobes, basal forebrain structures, and the striatum (p < 0.05). Estimated time to symptom onset, genetic group, education, and sex influenced behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms (p < 0.05). Particularly, in c9orf72 pathogenic variant carriers, psychotic symptoms may be starting decades before recognition of onset of illness. DISCUSSION: We identified multiple clusters of behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms in participants with genetic FTD that relate to distinct cerebral atrophy patterns. Their severity depends on time, affected gene, sex, and education. These clinical-genetic associations can guide diagnostic evaluations and the design of clinical trials for new disease-modifying and preventive treatments.

Anle138b: a novel oligomer modulator for disease-modifying therapy of neurodegenerative diseases such as prion and Parkinson's disease.

In neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and prion diseases, deposits of aggregated disease-specific proteins are found. Oligomeric aggregates are presumed to be the key neurotoxic agent. Here we describe the novel oligomer modulator anle138b [3-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-5-(3-bromophenyl)-1H-pyrazole], an aggregation inhibitor we developed based on a systematic high-throughput screening campaign combined with medicinal chemistry optimization. In vitro, anle138b blocked the formation of pathological aggregates of prion protein (PrP(Sc)) and of α-synuclein (α-syn), which is deposited in PD and other synucleinopathies such as dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). Notably, anle138b strongly inhibited all prion strains tested including BSE-derived and human prions. Anle138b showed structure-dependent binding to pathological aggregates and strongly inhibited formation of pathological oligomers in vitro and in vivo both for prion protein and α-synuclein. Both in mouse models of prion disease and in three different PD mouse models, anle138b strongly inhibited oligomer accumulation, neuronal degeneration, and disease progression in vivo. Anle138b had no detectable toxicity at therapeutic doses and an excellent oral bioavailability and blood-brain-barrier penetration. Our findings indicate that oligomer modulators provide a new approach for disease-modifying therapy in these diseases, for which only symptomatic treatment is available so far. Moreover, our findings suggest that pathological oligomers in neurodegenerative diseases share structural features, although the main protein component is disease-specific, indicating that compounds such as anle138b that modulate oligomer formation by targeting structure-dependent epitopes can have a broad spectrum of activity in the treatment of different protein aggregation diseases.

Symptomatology in 4-repeat tauopathies is associated with data-driven topology of [18F]-PI-2620 tau-PET signal.

In recent years in vivo visualization of tau deposits has become possible with various PET radiotracers. The tau tracer [18F]PI-2620 proved high affinity both to 3-repeat/4-repeat tau in Alzheimer's disease as well as to 4-repeat tau in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS). However, to be clinically relevant, biomarkers should not only correlate with pathological changes but also with disease stage and progression. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the correlation between topology of [18F]PI-2620 uptake and symptomatology in 4-repeat tauopathies. 72 patients with possible or probable 4-repeat tauopathy, i.e. 31 patients with PSP-Richardson's syndrome (PSP-RS), 30 with amyloid-negative CBS and 11 with PSP-non-RS/CBS, underwent [18F]PI-2620-PET. Principal component analysis was performed to identify groups of similar brain regions based on 20-40 min p.i. regional standardized uptake value ratio z-scores. Correlations between component scores and the items of the PSP Rating Scale were explored. Motor signs like gait, arising from chair and postural instability showed a positive correlation with tracer uptake in mesial frontoparietal lobes and the medial superior frontal gyrus and adjacent anterior cingulate cortex. While the signs disorientation and bradyphrenia showed a positive correlation with tracer uptake in the parietooccipital junction, the signs disorientation and arising from chair were negatively correlated with tau-PET signal in the caudate nucleus and thalamus. Total PSP Rating Scale Score showed a trend towards a positive correlation with mesial frontoparietal lobes and a negative correlation with caudate nucleus and thalamus. While in CBS patients, the main finding was a negative correlation of tracer binding in the caudate nucleus and thalamus and a positive correlation of tracer binding in medial frontal cortex with gait and motor signs, in PSP-RS patients various correlations of clinical signs with tracer binding in specific cerebral regions could be detected. Our data reveal [18F]PI-2620 tau-PET topology to correlate with symptomatology in 4-repeat tauopathies. Longitudinal studies will be needed to address whether a deterioration of signs and symptoms over time can be monitored by [18F]PI-2620 in 4-repeat tauopathies and whether [18F]PI-2620 may serve as a marker of disease progression in future therapeutic trials. The detected negative correlation of tracer binding in the caudate nucleus and thalamus with the signs disorientation and arising from chair may be due to an increasing atrophy in these regions leading to partial volume effects and a relative decrease of tracer uptake in the disease course. As cerebral regions correlating with symptomatology differ depending on the clinical phenotype, a precise knowledge of clinical signs and symptoms is necessary when interpreting [18F]PI-2620 PET results.

Impact of Partial Volume Correction on [18F]GE-180 PET Quantification in Subcortical Brain Regions of Patients with Corticobasal Syndrome.

Corticobasal syndrome (CBS) is a rare neurodegenerative condition characterized by four-repeat tau aggregation in the cortical and subcortical brain regions and accompanied by severe atrophy. The aim of this study was to evaluate partial volume effect correction (PVEC) in patients with CBS compared to a control cohort imaged with the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) positron emission tomography (PET) tracer [18F]GE-180. Eighteen patients with CBS and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent [18F]GE-180 PET. The cortical and subcortical regions were delineated by deep nuclei parcellation (DNP) of a 3D-T1 MRI. Region-specific subcortical volumes and standardized uptake values and ratios (SUV and SUVr) were extracted before and after region-based voxel-wise PVEC. Regional volumes were compared between patients with CBS and controls. The % group differences and effect sizes (CBS vs. controls) of uncorrected and PVE-corrected SUVr data were compared. Single-region positivity in patients with CBS was assessed by a >2 SD threshold vs. controls and compared between uncorrected and PVE-corrected data. Smaller regional volumes were detected in patients with CBS compared to controls in the right ventral striatum (p = 0.041), the left putamen (p = 0.005), the right putamen (p = 0.038) and the left pallidum (p = 0.015). After applying PVEC, the % group differences were distinctly higher, but the effect sizes of TSPO uptake were only slightly stronger due to the higher variance after PVEC. The single-region positivity of TSPO PET increased in patients with CBS after PVEC (100 vs. 83 regions). PVEC in the cortical and subcortical regions is valuable for TSPO imaging of patients with CBS, leading to the improved detection of elevated [18F]GE-180 uptake, although the effect sizes in the comparison against the controls did not improve strongly.

Frequency and Longitudinal Course of Motor Signs In Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a highly heritable disorder. The majority of genetic cases are caused by autosomal dominant pathogenic variants in the c9orf72, GRN and MAPT gene. As motor disorders are increasingly recognized as part of the clinical spectrum the current study aimed to describe motor phenotypes caused by genetic FTD, quantify their temporal association, and investigate their regional association with brain atrophy. METHODS: We analyzed baseline visit data of known carriers of a pathogenic variant in the c9orf72, GRN or MAPT gene from the Genetic Frontotemporal dementia Initiative cohort study. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation was performed to identify motor sign clusters that were compared with respect to frequency and severity between groups. Associations with cross-sectional atrophy patterns were determined using voxel-wise regression. We applied linear mixed effects models to assess whether groups differed in the association between motor signs and estimated time to symptom onset. RESULTS: 322 pathogenic variant carriers were included in the analysis: 122 c9orf72 (79 presymptomatic), 143 GRN (112 presymptomatic) and 57 MAPT (43 presymptomatic) pathogenic variant carriers. Principal component analysis revealed five motor clusters, which we call progressive supranuclear palsy like (PSP-like), bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) like, mixed/ALS-like, Parkinson's disease like (PD-like), and corticobasal syndrome like motor phenotypes. There was no significant group difference in the frequency of signs of different motor phenotypes. However, mixed/ALS-like motor signs were most frequent, followed by PD-like motor signs. While the PSP-like phenotype was associated with mesencephalic atrophy, the mixed/ALS-like phenotype was associated with motor cortex and corticospinal tract atrophy. The PD-like phenotype was associated with widespread cortical and subcortical atrophy. Estimated time to onset, genetic group and their interaction, influenced motor signs. In c9orf72 pathogenic variant carriers, motor signs could be detected up to 25 years prior to expected symptom onset. DISCUSSION: These results indicate the presence of multiple natural clusters of motor signs in genetic FTD, each correlated with specific atrophy patterns. Their motor severity depends on time and the affected gene. These clinico-genetic associations can guide diagnostic evaluations and the design of clinical trials for new disease-modifying and preventive treatments.

Low-degree trisomy 21 mosaicism promotes early-onset Alzheimer disease.

Trisomy-21 mosaicism (mT21) with subclinical intellectual development disorder or physical phenotype has very rarely been associated with early-onset cognitive decline. Notably, early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) patients' family histories frequently suggest genetic causes other than autosomal-dominant APP/PSEN-1/2 mutations. We present an EOAD patient in his late fifties newly diagnosed with low-degree mT21 (13%/21% blood lymphocytes/ectodermal cells). We applied fluorescence in-situ hybridization to confirm a diagnosis of mT21. Multimodal positron-emission-tomography applying 18F-fluodesoxyglucose (metabolism), 18F-florbetaben (amyloid-ß deposits) and 18F-PI-2620 (tau-deposits) tracers was used to confirm a diagnosis of EOAD according to the ATN-criteria of AD. Initial PET-studies revealed marked cerebral amyloid-ß- and tau-pathology and parietotemporal hypometabolism, confirming EOAD according to the ATN-criteria of AD. A marked cognitive decline was accompanied by an increase in tau pathology in follow-up studies. This is the first case demonstrating that a low-degree APP gene-dose increase suffices to cause EOAD with prominent amyloid-ß/tau pathology.

Dual-Phase ß-Amyloid PET Captures Neuronal Injury and Amyloidosis in Corticobasal Syndrome.

Objectives: In recent years several 18F-labeled amyloid PET (Aß-PET) tracers have been developed and have obtained clinical approval. There is evidence that Aß-PET perfusion can provide surrogate information about neuronal injury in neurodegenerative diseases when compared to conventional blood flow and glucose metabolism assessment. However, this paradigm has not yet been tested in neurodegenerative disorders with cortical and subcortical affection. Therefore, we investigated the performance of early acquisition 18F-flutemetamol Aß-PET in comparison to 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET in corticobasal syndrome (CBS). Methods: Subjects with clinically possible or probable CBS were recruited within the prospective Activity of Cerebral Networks, Amyloid and Microglia in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease (ActiGliA) observational study and all CBS cases with an available FDG-PET prior to Aß-PET were selected. Aß-PET was acquired 0-10 min p.i. (early-phase) and 90-110 min p.i. (late-phase) whereas FDG-PET was recorded statically from 30 to 50 min p.i. Semiquantitative regional values and asymmetry indices (AI) were compared between early-phase Aß-PET and FDG-PET. Visual assessments of hypoperfusion and hypometabolism were compared between both methods. Late-phase Aß-PET was evaluated visually for assessment of Aß-positivity. Results: Among 20 evaluated patients with CBS, 5 were Aß-positive. Early-phase Aß-PET and FDG-PET SUVr correlated highly in cortical (mean R = 0.86, range 0.77-0.92) and subcortical brain regions (mean R = 0.84, range 0.79-0.90). Strong asymmetry was observed in FDG-PET for the motor cortex (mean |AI| = 2.9%), the parietal cortex (mean |AI| = 2.9%), and the thalamus (mean |AI| = 5.5%), correlating well with AI of early-phase Aß-PET (mean R = 0.87, range 0.62-0.98). Visual assessments of hypoperfusion and hypometabolism were highly congruent. Conclusion: Early-phase Aß-PET facilitates assessment of neuronal injury in CBS for cortical and subcortical areas. Known asymmetries in CBS are captured by this method, enabling assessment of Aß-status and neuronal injury with a single radiation exposure at a single visit.

Cognitive reserve hypothesis in frontotemporal dementia: A FDG-PET study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Reserve is defined as the ability to maintain cognitive functions relatively well at a given level of pathology. Early life experiences such as education are associated with lower dementia risk in general. However, whether more years of education guards against the impact of brain alterations also in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has not been shown in a large patient collective. Therefore, we assessed whether education is associated with relatively high cognitive performance despite the presence of [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission-tomography (FDG-PET) hypometabolism in FTD. METHODS: Sixty-six FTD subjects (age 67 ± 8 years) and twenty-four cognitively healthy controls (HC) were evaluated. Brain regions with FTD-related glucose hypometabolism in the contrast against HC and brain regions that correlate with the cognitive function were defined by a voxel-based analysis and individual FDG-PET values were extracted from all frontotemporal brain areas. Linear regression analysis served to test if education is associated with residualized cognitive performance and regional FDG-PET hypometabolism after controlling for global cognition. RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls, patients with FTD showed glucose hypometabolism in bilateral frontal and temporal brain areas whereas cognition was only associated with deteriorated glucose metabolism in the left temporal lobe. The education level was significantly correlated with the residualized cognitive performance (residuals from regression analysis between hypometabolism and cognitive function as a quantitative index of reserve) and also negatively correlated with left temporal FDG-PET hypometabolism after controlling for cognition. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with FTD, the education level predicts the existing left temporal FDG-PET hypometabolism at the same cognition level, supporting the cognitive reserve hypothesis in FTD.

Motor speech disorders in the nonfluent, semantic and logopenic variants of primary progressive aphasia.

OBJECTIVE: Motor speech disorders (MSDs) are characteristic for nonfluent primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA). In primary progressive aphasia (PPA) of the semantic (svPPA) and of the logopenic type (lvPPA), speech motor function is considered typically intact. However, knowledge on the prevalence of MSDs in svPPA and lvPPA is mainly based on studies with a priori knowledge of PPA syndrome diagnosis. This fully blinded retrospective study aims to provide data on the prevalence of all types of MSDs in a large sample of German-speaking patients with different subtypes of PPA. METHOD: Two raters, blinded for PPA subtype, independently evaluated connected speech samples for MSD syndrome and severity from 161 patients diagnosed with nfvPPA, svPPA or lvPPA in the database of the German Consortium of Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLDc). In case of disagreement, a third experienced rater re-evaluated the speech samples, followed by a consensus procedure. Consensus was reached for 160 patients (74 nfvPPA, 49 svPPA, 37 lvPPA). MAIN RESULTS: Across all PPA syndromes, 43.8% of the patients showed MSDs. Patients with nfvPPA demonstrated the highest proportion of MSDs (62.2%), but MSDs were also identified in svPPA (26.5%) and lvPPA (29.7%), respectively. Overall, dysarthria was the most common class of MSDs, followed by apraxia of speech. In addition, we identified speech abnormalities presenting as "syllabic speech", "dysfluent speech", and "adynamic speech". DISCUSSION: Our study confirmed MSDs as frequently occurring in PPA. The study also confirmed MSDs to be most common in patients with nfvPPA. However, MSDs were also found in substantial proportions of patients with svPPA and lvPPA. Furthermore, our study identified speech motor deficits that have not received attention in previous studies on PPA. The results are discussed against the background of the existing literature on MSDs in PPA, including theoretical considerations of the neuroanatomical conditions described for each of the different subtypes of PPA.

Detection Gap of Right-Asymmetric Neuronal Degeneration by CERAD Test Battery in Alzheimer's Disease.

Objectives: Asymmetric disease characteristics on neuroimaging are common in structural and functional imaging of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, a standardized clinical evaluation of asymmetric neuronal degeneration and its impact on clinical findings has only sporadically been investigated for F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (F-18-FDG-PET). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of lateralized neuronal degeneration on the detection of AD by detailed clinical testing. Furthermore, we compared associations between clinical evaluation and lateralized neuronal degeneration between FDG-PET hypometabolism and hippocampal atrophy. Finally, we investigated if specific subtests show associations with lateralized neuronal degeneration. Methods: One-hundred and forty-six patients with a clinical diagnosis of AD (age 71 ± 8) were investigated by FDG-PET and the "Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's disease" (CERAD) test battery. For assessment of neuronal degeneration, FDG-PET hypometabolism in brain regions typically affected in AD were graded by visual (3D-surface projections) and semiquantitative analysis. Asymmetry of the hippocampus (left-right) in magnetic resonance tomography (MRI) was rated visually by the Scheltens scale. Measures of asymmetry were calculated to quantify lateralized neuronal degeneration and asymmetry scores were subsequently correlated with CERAD. Results: Asymmetry with left-dominant neuronal degeneration to FDG-PET was an independent predictor of cognitive impairment (visual: ß = -0.288, p < 0.001; semiquantitative: ß = -0.451, p < 0.001) when controlled for age, gender, years of education and total burden of neuronal degeneration, whereas hippocampal asymmetry to MRI was not (ß = -0.034; p = 0.731). Direct comparison of CERAD-PET associations in cases with right- and left-lateralized neuronal degeneration estimated a detection gap of 2.7 years for right-lateralized cases. Left-hemispheric neuronal degeneration was significantly associated with the total CERAD score and multiple subscores, whereas only MMSE (semiquantitative: ß = 0.429, p < 0.001) and constructional praxis (semiquantitative: ß = 0.292, p = 0.008) showed significant associations with right-hemispheric neuronal degeneration. Conclusions: Asymmetry of deteriorated cerebral glucose metabolism has a significant impact on the coupling between neuronal degeneration and cognitive function. Right dominant neuronal degeneration shows a delayed detection by global CERAD testing and requires evaluation of specific subdomains of cognitive testing.

Neuronal injury biomarkers for assessment of the individual cognitive reserve in clinically suspected Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVES: Many predictive or influencing factors have emerged in investigations of the cognitive reserve model of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). For example, neuronal injury, which correlates with cognitive decline in AD, can be assessed by [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission-tomography (FDG-PET), structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and total tau in cerebrospinal fluid (CSFt-tau), all according to the A/T/N-classification. The aim of this study was to calculate residual cognitive performance based on neuronal injury biomarkers as a surrogate of cognitive reserve, and to test the predictive value of this index for the individual clinical course. METHODS: 110 initially mild cognitive impaired and demented subjects (age 71 ±â€¯8 years) with a final diagnosis of AD dementia were assessed at baseline by clinical mini-mental-state-examination (MMSE), FDG-PET, MRI and CSFt-tau. All neuronal injury markers were tested for an association with clinical MMSE and the resulting residuals were correlated with years of education. We used multiple regression analysis to calculate the expected MMSE score based on neuronal injury biomarkers and covariates. The residuals of the partial correlation for each biomarker and the predicted residualized memory function were correlated with individual cognitive changes measured during clinical follow-up (27 ±â€¯13 months). RESULTS: FDG-PET correlated highly with clinical MMSE (R = -0.49, p < .01), whereas hippocampal atrophy to MRI (R = -0.15, p = .14) and CSFt-tau (R = -0.12, p = .22) showed only weak correlations. Residuals of all neuronal injury biomarker regressions correlated significantly with education level, indicating them to be surrogates of cognitive reserve. A positive residual was associated with faster cognitive deterioration at follow-up for the residuals of stand-alone FDG-PET (R = -0.36, p = .01) and the combined residualized memory function model (R = -0.35, p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that subjects with higher cognitive reserve had accumulated more pathology, which subsequently caused a faster cognitive decline over time. Together with previous findings suggesting that higher reserve is associated with slower cognitive decline, we propose a biphasic reserve effect, with an initially protective phase followed by more rapid decompensation once the protection is overwhelmed.

Clinical Routine FDG-PET Imaging of Suspected Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Corticobasal Degeneration: A Gatekeeper for Subsequent Tau-PET Imaging?

Background: F-18-fluordeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is widely used for discriminative diagnosis of tau-positive atypical parkinsonian syndromes (T+APS). This approach now stands to be augmented with more specific tau tracers. Therefore, we retrospectively analyzed a large clinical routine dataset of FDG-PET images for evaluation of the strengths and limitations of stand-alone FDG-PET. Methods: A total of 117 patients (age 68.4 ± 11.1 y) underwent an FDG-PET exam. Patients were followed clinically for a minimum of one year and their final clinical diagnosis was recorded. FDG-PET was rated visually (positive/negative) and categorized as high, moderate or low likelihood of T+APS and other neurodegenerative disorders. We then calculated positive and negative predictive values (PPV/NPV) of FDG-PET readings for the different subgroups relative to their final clinical diagnosis. Results: Suspected diagnoses were confirmed by clinical follow-up (≥1 y) for 62 out of 117 (53%) patients. PPV was excellent when FDG-PET indicated a high likelihood of T+APS in combination with low to moderate likelihood of another neurodegenerative disorder. PPV was distinctly lower when FDG-PET indicated only a moderate likelihood of T+APS or when there was deemed equal likelihood of other neurodegenerative disorder. NPV of FDG-PET with a low likelihood for T+APS was high. Conclusions: FDG-PET has high value in clinical routine evaluation of suspected T+APS, gaining satisfactory differential diagnosis in two thirds of the patients. One third of patients would potentially profit from further evaluation by more specific radioligands, with FDG-PET serving gatekeeper function for the more expensive methods.