Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD
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The aim of this study was to investigate the neuronal network characteristics in physiological and pathological brain aging. A database of 378 participants divided in three groups was analyzed: Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and normal elderly (Nold) subjects. ⋯ Furthermore, the analysis of eLORETA cortical connectivity suggested that for the normalized Characteristic Path Length (λ) the pattern differences between normal cognition and dementia were observed in the theta band (MCI subjects are find similar to healthy subjects), while for the normalized Clustering coefficient (γ) a significant increment was found for AD group in delta, theta, and alpha 1 bands; finally, the small world (σ) parameter presented a significant interaction between AD and MCI groups showing a theta increase in MCI. The fact that AD patients respect the MCI subjects were significantly impaired in theta but not in alpha bands connectivity are in line with the hypothesis of an intermediate status of MCI between normal condition and overt dementia.
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To determine whether jugular venous reflux (JVR) is associated with cerebral white matter changes (WMCs) in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD), we studied 12 AD patients 24 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, and 17 elderly age- and gender-matched controls. Duplex ultrasonography and 1.5T MRI scanning was applied to quantify cerebral WMCs [T2 white matter (WM) lesion and dirty-appearing-white-matter (DAWM)]. Subjects with severe JVR had more frequently hypertension (p = 0.044), more severe WMC, including increased total (p = 0.047) and periventricular DAWM volumes (p = 0.008), and a trend for increased cerebrospinal fluid volumes (p = 0.067) compared with the other groups. ⋯ These JVR-WMC association patterns were not seen in the control and MCI groups. Therefore, this pilot study suggests that there may be an association between JVR and WMCs in AD patients, implying that cerebral venous outflow impairment might play a role in the dynamics of WMCs formation in AD patients, particularly in the periventricular regions. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm and validate our findings.
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Rare non-synonymous variants of TREM2 have recently been shown to be associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Caucasians. We here conducted a replication study using a well-characterized Japanese sample set, comprising 2,190 late-onset AD (LOAD) cases and 2,498 controls. ⋯ Only three variants, R47H, H157Y, and L211P, were polymorphic (range of minor allele frequency [MAF], 0.0002-0.0059); however, no significant association with LOAD was observed in these variants. Considering low MAF of variants examined and our study sample size, further genetic analysis with a larger sample set is needed to firmly evaluate whether or not TREM2 is associated with LOAD in Japanese.
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Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may contribute to the development of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). ⋯ Our results show that the presence of MCI is not the leading cause of either early or long-term POCD in patients undergoing CABG. Further research should focus on the contribution of important clinical factors, including progression of atherosclerosis and adherence, to post-CABG POCD.
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TREM2 has been reported to be associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we evaluated TREM2 mRNA and protein expressions in peripheral blood from AD patients and healthy controls. ⋯ According to ROC curve analysis, the diagnostic accuracy for TREM2 protein levels on monocytes was 70%, with the sensitivity and specificity 68% and 72%, respectively. Our results indicate that TREM2 might serve as a novel noninvasive biomarker for AD diagnosis.