Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association
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Comparative Study
Cerebrospinal fluid markers for Alzheimer's disease in a cognitively healthy cohort of young and old adults.
Low amyloid β42 (Aβ42) and high total tau and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD), reflecting brain deposition of amyloid plaques and tangles. Age and apolipoprotein E allele E4 are two strong risk factors for AD, but few data are still available on their effect on CSF markers in normal aging. ⋯ In cognitively normal subjects, the concentrations of CSF biomarkers of AD are associated with age. Further longitudinal studies could clarify whether Aβ42 low levels represent a preclinical AD biomarker.
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The association between lifelong body mass index (BMI) and cognitive function has not been comprehensively studied. ⋯ The adverse effect of higher BMI gain on midlife cognitive function and cognitive reserve is independent of childhood intelligence but not of education and SEP. The independent association between greater BMI gain in midlife and better cognitive function deserves further investigation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Safety and biomarker effects of solanezumab in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
To assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of 12 weekly infusions of solanezumab, an anti-β-amyloid (Aβ) antibody, in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. Cognitive measures were also obtained. ⋯ Antibody administration was well tolerated with doses up to 400 mg weekly. The dose-dependent increase in unbound CSF Aβ(1-42) suggests that this antibody may shift Aβ equilibria sufficiently to mobilize Aβ(1-42) from amyloid plaques.
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The fornix is the predominant outflow tract of the hippocampus, a brain region known to be affected early in the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aims of the present study were to: (1) examine the cross-sectional relationship between fornix diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean diffusivity [MD], axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity), hippocampal volume, and memory performance, and (2) compare fornix DTI measures with hippocampal volumes as predictors of progression and transition from amnestic mild cognitive impairment to AD dementia. ⋯ Fornix FA both cross-sectionally correlated with and longitudinally predicted memory decline and progression to AD. Manually drawn region of interest within the fornix shows promise comparable with hippocampal volume as a predictive biomarker of progression, and this finding warrants replication in a larger study.
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Comparative Study
Direct comparison of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging in Alzheimer's disease.
The utility of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging in Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis has been well established. Recently, measurement of cerebral blood flow using arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) has shown diagnostic potential in AD, although it has never been directly compared with FDG-PET. ⋯ Our results demonstrate that FDG-PET and ASL-MRI identify similar regional abnormalities and have comparable diagnostic accuracy in a small population of AD patients, and support the further study of ASL-MRI in dementia diagnosis.