Correlation of Global and Regional Amyloid Burden by 18 F-Florbetaben PET/CT With Cognitive Impairment Profile and Severity.

PURPOSE: To assess the correlation between profile and severity deterioration in the neuropsychological assessment and the most affected regions in amyloid PET semiquantification. The influence of vascular risk and other potential confounding factors was also evaluated. METHODS: A retrospective, observational, and multicenter study including all patients referred for amyloid PET in daily practice was conducted. Patients underwent neuropsychological assessment, and cognitive decline severity and domain(s) affected were recorded. The patients were grouped according to cognitive impairment (CI) profile and severity: (A) no CI, single-domain amnestic CI, multiple-domain amnestic CI, and nonamnestic CI; and (B) mild CI, moderate and severe dementia. An adapted Framingham Stroke Risk Profile was calculated for each individual. Depression and parkinsonism were also recorded. Standardized quantitative analysis software was used to obtain standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) values from PET/CT images. The corresponding associations were assessed with the most appropriate statistical tests. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-nine patients were included (62 men, 67 women; 64.67 ± 7.47 years old). Significant differences in global and regional amyloid load were exclusively found in women between non-CI and moderate dementia ( P = 0.006, for total-cerebellum SUVR). Posterior and anterior cingulates and prefrontal cortex best represented CI severity ( P = 0.003, 0.006, and 0.006, respectively). No relationship between the CI profile and the regional amyloid load was shown. A significantly high positive correlation was found between age and vascular risk and between these variables and amyloid load in nearly all regions, especially in women with moderate dementia. CONCLUSION: Semiquantitative analysis of amyloid PET by SUVR values revealed a significant correlation between amyloid burden and CI severity, although only in women.

Ubiquinol Supplementation Improves Gender-Dependent Cerebral Vasoreactivity and Ameliorates Chronic Inflammation and Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Ubiquinol can protect endothelial cells from multiple mechanisms that cause endothelial damage and vascular dysfunction, thus contributing to dementia. A total of 69 participants diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) received either 200 mg/day ubiquinol (Ub) or placebo for 1 year. Cognitive assessment of patients was performed at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up. Patients' cerebral vasoreactivity was examined using transcranial Doppler sonography, and levels of Ub and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in plasma samples were quantified. Cell viability and necrotic cell death were determined using the microvascular endothelial cell line bEnd3. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) levels increased in patients supplemented for 1 year with ubiquinol versus baseline and the placebo group, although higher levels were observed in male patients. The higher cCoQ concentration in male patients improved cerebral vasoreactivity CRV and reduced inflammation, although the effect of Ub supplementation on neurological improvement was negligible in this study. Furthermore, plasma from Ub-supplemented patients improved the viability of endothelial cells, although only in T2DM and hypertensive patients. This suggests that ubiquinol supplementation could be recommended to reach a concentration of 5 µg/mL in plasma in MCI patients as a complement to conventional treatment.