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Galgani A, Lombardo F, Frijia F, Martini N, Tognoni G, Pavese N, Giorgi FS. The degeneration of locus coeruleus occurring during Alzheimer's disease clinical progression: a neuroimaging follow-up investigation. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:1317-1325. [PMID: 38625557 PMCID: PMC11147916 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02797-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
The noradrenergic nucleus Locus Coeruleus (LC) is precociously involved in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) pathology, and its degeneration progresses during the course of the disease. Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), researchers showed also in vivo in patients the disruption of LC, which can be observed both in Mild Cognitively Impaired individuals and AD demented patients. In this study, we report the results of a follow-up neuroradiological assessment, in which we evaluated the LC degeneration overtime in a group of cognitively impaired patients, submitted to MRI both at baseline and at the end of a 2.5-year follow-up. We found that a progressive LC disruption can be observed also in vivo, involving the entire nucleus and associated with clinical diagnosis. Our findings parallel neuropathological ones, which showed a continuous increase of neuronal death and volumetric atrophy within the LC with the progression of Braak's stages for neurofibrillary pathology. This supports the reliability of MRI as a tool for exploring the integrity of the central noradrenergic system in neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Galgani
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, Pisa, 56126, Italy
| | | | - Francesca Frijia
- Bioengineering Unit, Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicola Martini
- Bioengineering Unit, Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gloria Tognoni
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicola Pavese
- Clinical Ageing Research Unit, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, PET Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Filippo Sean Giorgi
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, Pisa, 56126, Italy.
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2
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Pahl J, Prokopiou PC, Bueichekú E, Schultz AP, Papp KV, Farrell ME, Rentz DM, Sperling RA, Johnson KA, Jacobs HIL. Locus coeruleus integrity and left frontoparietal connectivity provide resilience against attentional decline in preclinical alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Res Ther 2024; 16:119. [PMID: 38822365 PMCID: PMC11140954 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-024-01485-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autopsy work reported that neuronal density in the locus coeruleus (LC) provides neural reserve against cognitive decline in dementia. Recent neuroimaging and pharmacological studies reported that left frontoparietal network functional connectivity (LFPN-FC) confers resilience against beta-amyloid (Aβ)-related cognitive decline in preclinical sporadic and autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease (AD), as well as against LC-related cognitive changes. Given that the LFPN and the LC play important roles in attention, and attention deficits have been observed early in the disease process, we examined whether LFPN-FC and LC structural health attenuate attentional decline in the context of AD pathology. METHODS 142 participants from the Harvard Aging Brain Study who underwent resting-state functional MRI, LC structural imaging, PiB(Aβ)-PET, and up to 5 years of cognitive follow-ups were included (mean age = 74.5 ± 9.9 years, 89 women). Cross-sectional robust linear regression associated LC integrity (measured as the average of five continuous voxels with the highest intensities in the structural LC images) or LFPN-FC with Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) performance at baseline. Longitudinal robust mixed effect analyses examined associations between DSST decline and (i) two-way interactions of baseline LC integrity (or LFPN-FC) and PiB or (ii) the three-way interaction of baseline LC integrity, LFPN-FC, and PiB. Baseline age, sex, and years of education were included as covariates. RESULTS At baseline, lower LFPN-FC, but not LC integrity, was related to worse DSST performance. Longitudinally, lower baseline LC integrity was associated with a faster DSST decline, especially at PiB > 10.38 CL. Lower baseline LFPN-FC was associated with a steeper decline on the DSST but independent of PiB. At elevated PiB levels (> 46 CL), higher baseline LFPN-FC was associated with an attenuated decline on the DSST, despite the presence of lower LC integrity. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that the LC can provide resilience against Aβ-related attention decline. However, when Aβ accumulates and the LC's resources may be depleted, the functioning of cortical target regions of the LC, such as the LFPN-FC, can provide additional resilience to sustain attentional performance in preclinical AD. These results provide critical insights into the neural correlates contributing to individual variability at risk versus resilience against Aβ-related cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Pahl
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Prokopis C Prokopiou
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elisenda Bueichekú
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aaron P Schultz
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathryn V Papp
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michelle E Farrell
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dorene M Rentz
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Reisa A Sperling
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Keith A Johnson
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Aganj I, Mora J, Fischl B, Augustinack JC. Automatic geometry-based estimation of the locus coeruleus region on T 1-weighted magnetic resonance images. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1375530. [PMID: 38774790 PMCID: PMC11106368 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1375530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a key brain structure implicated in cognitive function and neurodegenerative disease. Automatic segmentation of the LC is a crucial step in quantitative non-invasive analysis of the LC in large MRI cohorts. Most publicly available imaging databases for training automatic LC segmentation models take advantage of specialized contrast-enhancing (e.g., neuromelanin-sensitive) MRI. Segmentation models developed with such image contrasts, however, are not readily applicable to existing datasets with conventional MRI sequences. In this work, we evaluate the feasibility of using non-contrast neuroanatomical information to geometrically approximate the LC region from standard 3-Tesla T1-weighted images of 20 subjects from the Human Connectome Project (HCP). We employ this dataset to train and internally/externally evaluate two automatic localization methods, the Expected Label Value and the U-Net. For out-of-sample segmentation, we compare the results with atlas-based segmentation, as well as test the hypothesis that using the phase image as input can improve the robustness. We then apply our trained models to a larger subset of HCP, while exploratorily correlating LC imaging variables and structural connectivity with demographic and clinical data. This report provides an evaluation of computational methods estimating neural structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Aganj
- Radiology Department, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Radiology Department, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jocelyn Mora
- Radiology Department, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Bruce Fischl
- Radiology Department, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Radiology Department, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jean C. Augustinack
- Radiology Department, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Radiology Department, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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4
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Bueichekú E, Diez I, Kim CM, Becker JA, Koops EA, Kwong K, Papp KV, Salat DH, Bennett DA, Rentz DM, Sperling RA, Johnson KA, Sepulcre J, Jacobs HIL. Spatiotemporal patterns of locus coeruleus integrity predict cortical tau and cognition. NATURE AGING 2024; 4:625-637. [PMID: 38664576 PMCID: PMC11108787 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-024-00626-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Autopsy studies indicated that the locus coeruleus (LC) accumulates hyperphosphorylated tau before allocortical regions in Alzheimer's disease. By combining in vivo longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging measures of LC integrity, tau positron emission tomography imaging and cognition with autopsy data and transcriptomic information, we examined whether LC changes precede allocortical tau deposition and whether specific genetic features underlie LC's selective vulnerability to tau. We found that LC integrity changes preceded medial temporal lobe tau accumulation, and together these processes were associated with lower cognitive performance. Common gene expression profiles between LC-medial temporal lobe-limbic regions map to biological functions in protein transport regulation. These findings advance our understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of initial tau spreading from the LC and LC's selective vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease pathology. LC integrity measures can be a promising indicator for identifying the time window when individuals are at risk of disease progression and underscore the importance of interventions mitigating initial tau spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisenda Bueichekú
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ibai Diez
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chan-Mi Kim
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John Alex Becker
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Kenneth Kwong
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathryn V Papp
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David H Salat
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David A Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Dorene M Rentz
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Reisa A Sperling
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Keith A Johnson
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jorge Sepulcre
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Radiology, Yale PET Center, Yale Medical School, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
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Pierson SR, Kolling LJ, James TD, Pushpavathi SG, Marcinkiewcz CA. Serotonergic dysfunction may mediate the relationship between alcohol consumption and Alzheimer's disease. Pharmacol Res 2024; 203:107171. [PMID: 38599469 PMCID: PMC11088857 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The impact of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its related dementias is rapidly expanding, and its mitigation remains an urgent social and technical challenge. To date there are no effective treatments or interventions for AD, but recent studies suggest that alcohol consumption is correlated with the risk of developing dementia. In this review, we synthesize data from preclinical, clinical, and epidemiological models to evaluate the combined role of alcohol consumption and serotonergic dysfunction in AD, underscoring the need for further research on this topic. We first discuss the limitations inherent to current data-collection methods, and how neuropsychiatric symptoms common among AD, alcohol use disorder, and serotonergic dysfunction may mask their co-occurrence. We additionally describe how excess alcohol consumption may accelerate the development of AD via direct effects on serotonergic function, and we explore the roles of neuroinflammation and proteostasis in mediating the relationship between serotonin, alcohol consumption, and AD. Lastly, we argue for a shift in current research to disentangle the pathogenic effects of alcohol on early-affected brainstem structures in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha R Pierson
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, United States
| | - Louis J Kolling
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, United States
| | - Thomas D James
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, United States
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6
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Anderson T, Sharma S, Kelberman MA, Ware C, Guo N, Qin Z, Weinshenker D, Parent MB. Obesity during preclinical Alzheimer's disease development exacerbates brain metabolic decline. J Neurochem 2024; 168:801-821. [PMID: 37391269 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Obesity in middle age increases AD risk and severity, which is alarming given that obesity prevalence peaks at middle age and obesity rates are accelerating worldwide. Midlife, but not late-life obesity increases AD risk, suggesting that this interaction is specific to preclinical AD. AD pathology begins in middle age, with accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ), hyperphosphorylated tau, metabolic decline, and neuroinflammation occurring decades before cognitive symptoms appear. We used a transcriptomic discovery approach in young adult (6.5 months old) male and female TgF344-AD rats that overexpress mutant human amyloid precursor protein and presenilin-1 and wild-type (WT) controls to determine whether inducing obesity with a high-fat/high-sugar "Western" diet during preclinical AD increases brain metabolic dysfunction in dorsal hippocampus (dHC), a brain region vulnerable to the effects of obesity and early AD. Analyses of dHC gene expression data showed dysregulated mitochondrial and neurotransmission pathways, and up-regulated genes involved in cholesterol synthesis. Western diet amplified the number of genes that were different between AD and WT rats and added pathways involved in noradrenergic signaling, dysregulated inhibition of cholesterol synthesis, and decreased intracellular lipid transporters. Importantly, the Western diet impaired dHC-dependent spatial working memory in AD but not WT rats, confirming that the dietary intervention accelerated cognitive decline. To examine later consequences of early transcriptional dysregulation, we measured dHC monoamine levels in older (13 months old) AD and WT rats of both sexes after long-term chow or Western diet consumption. Norepinephrine (NE) abundance was significantly decreased in AD rats, NE turnover was increased, and the Western diet attenuated the AD-induced increases in turnover. Collectively, these findings indicate obesity during prodromal AD impairs memory, potentiates AD-induced metabolic decline likely leading to an overproduction of cholesterol, and interferes with compensatory increases in NE transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thea Anderson
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Sumeet Sharma
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Michael A Kelberman
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Christopher Ware
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Nanxi Guo
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Zhaohui Qin
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - David Weinshenker
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Marise B Parent
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Georgia, USA
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7
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Tsintzas E, Niccoli T. Using Drosophila amyloid toxicity models to study Alzheimer's disease. Ann Hum Genet 2024. [PMID: 38517001 DOI: 10.1111/ahg.12554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia and is characterised by a progressive loss of neurons, which manifests as gradual memory decline, followed by cognitive loss. Despite the significant progress in identifying novel biomarkers and understanding the prodromal pathology and symptomatology, AD remains a significant unmet clinical need. Lecanemab and aducanumab, the only Food and Drug Administration approved drugs to exhibit some disease-modifying clinical efficacy, target Aβ amyloid, underscoring the importance of this protein in disease aetiology. Nevertheless, in the absence of a definitive cure, the utilisation of preclinical models remains imperative for the identification of novel therapeutic targets and the evaluation of potential therapeutic agents. Drosophila melanogaster is a model system that can be used as a research tool to investigate neurodegeneration and therapeutic interventions. The short lifespan, low price and ease of husbandry/rearing make Drosophila an advantageous model organism from a practical perspective. However, it is the highly conserved genome and similarity of Drosophila and human neurobiology which make flies a powerful tool to investigate neurodegenerative mechanisms. In addition, the ease of transgenic modifications allows for early proof of principle studies for future therapeutic approaches in neurodegenerative research. This mini review will specifically focus on utilising Drosophila as an in vivo model of amyloid toxicity in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elli Tsintzas
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, UK
| | - Teresa Niccoli
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, UK
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8
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Crossley CA, Omoluabi T, Torraville SE, Duraid S, Maziar A, Hasan Z, Rajani V, Ando K, Hell JW, Yuan Q. Hippocampal hyperphosphorylated tau-induced deficiency is rescued by L-type calcium channel blockade. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae096. [PMID: 38562310 PMCID: PMC10984573 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Aging and Alzheimer's disease are associated with chronic elevations in neuronal calcium influx via L-type calcium channels. The hippocampus, a primary memory encoding structure in the brain, is more vulnerable to calcium dysregulation in Alzheimer's disease. Recent research has suggested a link between L-type calcium channels and tau hyperphosphorylation. However, the precise mechanism of L-type calcium channel-mediated tau toxicity is not understood. In this study, we seeded a human tau pseudophosphorylated at 14 amino acid sites in rat hippocampal cornu ammonis 1 region to mimic soluble pretangle tau. Impaired spatial learning was observed in human tau pseudophosphorylated at 14 amino acid sites-infused rats as early as 1-3 months and worsened at 9-10 months post-infusion. Rats infused with wild-type human tau exhibited milder behavioural deficiency only at 9-10 months post-infusion. No tangles or plaques were observed in all time points examined in both human tau pseudophosphorylated at 14 amino acid sites and human tau-infused brains. However, human tau pseudophosphorylated at 14 amino acid sites-infused hippocampus exhibited a higher amount of tau phosphorylation at S262 and S356 than the human tau-infused rats at 3 months post-infusion, paralleling the behavioural deficiency observed in human tau pseudophosphorylated at 14 amino acid sites-infused rats. Neuroinflammation indexed by increased Iba1 in the cornu ammonis 1 was observed in human tau pseudophosphorylated at 14 amino acid sites-infused rats at 1-3 but not 9 months post-infusion. Spatial learning deficiency in human tau pseudophosphorylated at 14 amino acid sites-infused rats at 1-3 months post-infusion was paralleled by decreased neuronal excitability, impaired NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiation and augmented L-type calcium channel-dependent long-term potentiation at the cornu ammonis 1 synapses. L-type calcium channel expression was elevated in the soma of the cornu ammonis 1 neurons in human tau pseudophosphorylated at 14 amino acid sites-infused rats. Chronic L-type calcium channel blockade with nimodipine injections for 6 weeks normalized neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity and rescued spatial learning deficiency in human tau pseudophosphorylated at 14 amino acid sites-infused rats. The early onset of L-type calcium channel-mediated pretangle tau pathology and rectification by nimodipine in our model have significant implications for preclinical Alzheimer's disease prevention and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea A Crossley
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Tamunotonye Omoluabi
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Sarah E Torraville
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Sarah Duraid
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Aida Maziar
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Zia Hasan
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Vishaal Rajani
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Kanae Ando
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan
| | - Johannes W Hell
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Qi Yuan
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada
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9
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Ochi S, Yamada K, Saito T, Saido TC, Iinuma M, Azuma K, Kubo KY. Effects of early tooth loss on chronic stress and progression of neuropathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease in adult Alzheimer's model AppNL-G-F mice. Front Aging Neurosci 2024; 16:1361847. [PMID: 38469162 PMCID: PMC10925668 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1361847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by accumulated amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, aggregated phosphorylated tau protein, gliosis-associated neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, and cognitive impairment. Many cohort studies indicate that tooth loss is a risk factor for AD. The detailed mechanisms underlying the association between AD and tooth loss, however, are not yet fully understood. Methods We explored the involvement of early tooth loss in the neuropathogenesis of the adult AppNL-G-F mouse AD model. The maxillary molars were extracted bilaterally in 1-month-old male mice soon after tooth eruption. Results Plasma corticosterone levels were increased and spatial learning memory was impaired in these mice at 6 months of age. The cerebral cortex and hippocampus of AD mice with extracted teeth showed an increased accumulation of Aβ plaques and phosphorylated tau proteins, and increased secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), accompanied by an increased number of microglia and astrocytes, and decreased synaptophysin expression. AD mice with extracted teeth also had a shorter lifespan than the control mice. Discussion These findings revealed that long-term tooth loss is a chronic stressor, activating the recruitment of microglia and astrocytes; exacerbating neuroinflammation, Aβ deposition, phosphorylated tau accumulation, and synaptic dysfunction; and leading to spatial learning and memory impairments in AD model mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzuko Ochi
- Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Asahi University School of Dentistry, Mizuho, Japan
| | - Kumiko Yamada
- Department of Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Health Science, Nagoya Women's University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takashi Saito
- Department of Neurocognitive Science, Institute of Brain Science, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takaomi C Saido
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
| | - Mitsuo Iinuma
- Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Asahi University School of Dentistry, Mizuho, Japan
| | - Kagaku Azuma
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Kin-Ya Kubo
- Graduate School of Human Life Science, Nagoya Women's University, Nagoya, Japan
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10
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Zide BS, Donovan NJ, Lee S, Nag S, Bennett DA, Jacobs HIL. Social activity mediates locus coeruleus tangle-related cognition in older adults. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02467-y. [PMID: 38355788 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02467-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system regulates brain-wide neural activity involved in cognition and behavior. Integrity of this subcortical neuromodulatory system is proposed to be a substrate of cognitive reserve that may be strengthened by lifetime cognitive and social activity. Conversely, accumulation of tau tangles in the brainstem locus coeruleus nuclei is recently studied as a very early marker of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis and cognitive vulnerability, even among older adults without cognitive impairment or significant cerebral AD pathologies. This clinical-pathologic study examined whether locus coeruleus tangle density was cross-sectionally associated with lower antemortem cognitive performance and social activity among 142 cognitively unimpaired and impaired older adults and whether social activity, a putative reserve factor, mediated the association of tangle density and cognition. We found that greater locus coeruleus tangle density was associated with lower social activity for the whole sample and in the cognitively unimpaired group alone and these associations were independent of age, sex, education, depressive symptoms, and burden of cerebral amyloid and tau. The association of locus coeruleus tangle density with lower cognitive performance was partially mediated by level of social activity. These findings implicate the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system in late-life social function and support that locus coeruleus tangle pathology is associated with lower levels of social activity, independent of cerebral AD pathologies, and specifically among older adults who are cognitively unimpaired. Early brainstem pathology may impact social function, and level of social function, in turn, influences cognition, prior to canonical stages of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin S Zide
- Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nancy J Donovan
- Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Soyoung Lee
- Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sukriti Nag
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center and Department of Pathology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - David A Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center and Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre, Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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11
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Ross FC, Mayer DE, Gupta A, Gill CIR, Del Rio D, Cryan JF, Lavelle A, Ross RP, Stanton C, Mayer EA. Existing and Future Strategies to Manipulate the Gut Microbiota With Diet as a Potential Adjuvant Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 95:348-360. [PMID: 37918459 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Nutrition and diet quality play key roles in preventing and slowing cognitive decline and have been linked to multiple brain disorders. This review compiles available evidence from preclinical studies and clinical trials on the impact of nutrition and interventions regarding major psychiatric conditions and some neurological disorders. We emphasize the potential role of diet-related microbiome alterations in these effects and highlight commonalities between various brain disorders related to the microbiome. Despite numerous studies shedding light on these findings, there are still gaps in our understanding due to the limited availability of definitive human trial data firmly establishing a causal link between a specific diet and microbially mediated brain functions and symptoms. The positive impact of certain diets on the microbiome and cognitive function is frequently ascribed with the anti-inflammatory effects of certain microbial metabolites or a reduction of proinflammatory microbial products. We also critically review recent research on pro- and prebiotics and nondietary interventions, particularly fecal microbiota transplantation. The recent focus on diet in relation to brain disorders could lead to improved treatment outcomes with combined dietary, pharmacological, and behavioral interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona C Ross
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Dylan E Mayer
- Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Arpana Gupta
- Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, UCLA Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Chris I R Gill
- Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, Ulster University, Coleraine, United Kingdom
| | - Daniele Del Rio
- Department of Food and Drugs, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - John F Cryan
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Aonghus Lavelle
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - R Paul Ross
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Catherine Stanton
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Teagasc Moorepark Food Research Centre, Fermoy, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Emeran A Mayer
- Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, UCLA Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
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12
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Lin CP, Frigerio I, Bol JGJM, Bouwman MMA, Wesseling AJ, Dahl MJ, Rozemuller AJM, van der Werf YD, Pouwels PJW, van de Berg WDJ, Jonkman LE. Microstructural integrity of the locus coeruleus and its tracts reflect noradrenergic degeneration in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Transl Neurodegener 2024; 13:9. [PMID: 38336865 PMCID: PMC10854137 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-024-00400-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Degeneration of the locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic system contributes to clinical symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential to evaluate the integrity of the LC noradrenergic system. The aim of the current study was to determine whether the diffusion MRI-measured integrity of the LC and its tracts are sensitive to noradrenergic degeneration in AD and PD. METHODS Post-mortem in situ T1-weighted and multi-shell diffusion MRI was performed for 9 AD, 14 PD, and 8 control brain donors. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity were derived from the LC, and from tracts between the LC and the anterior cingulate cortex, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the primary motor cortex (M1) or the hippocampus. Brain tissue sections of the LC and cortical regions were obtained and immunostained for dopamine-beta hydroxylase (DBH) to quantify noradrenergic cell density and fiber load. Group comparisons and correlations between outcome measures were performed using linear regression and partial correlations. RESULTS The AD and PD cases showed loss of LC noradrenergic cells and fibers. In the cortex, the AD cases showed increased DBH + immunoreactivity in the DLPFC compared to PD cases and controls, while PD cases showed reduced DBH + immunoreactivity in the M1 compared to controls. Higher FA within the LC was found for AD, which was correlated with loss of noradrenergic cells and fibers in the LC. Increased FA of the LC-DLPFC tract was correlated with LC noradrenergic fiber loss in the combined AD and control group, whereas the increased FA of the LC-M1 tract was correlated with LC noradrenergic neuronal loss in the combined PD and control group. The tract alterations were not correlated with cortical DBH + immunoreactivity. CONCLUSIONS In AD and PD, the diffusion MRI-detected alterations within the LC and its tracts to the DLPFC and the M1 were associated with local noradrenergic neuronal loss within the LC, rather than noradrenergic changes in the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Pei Lin
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Irene Frigerio
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - John G J M Bol
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maud M A Bouwman
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alex J Wesseling
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Annemieke J M Rozemuller
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Pathology, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ysbrand D van der Werf
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Compulsivity, Impulsivity and Attention Program, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Petra J W Pouwels
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Wilma D J van de Berg
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laura E Jonkman
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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13
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Grella SL, Donaldson TN. Contextual memory engrams, and the neuromodulatory influence of the locus coeruleus. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1342622. [PMID: 38375501 PMCID: PMC10875109 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1342622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Here, we review the basis of contextual memory at a conceptual and cellular level. We begin with an overview of the philosophical foundations of traversing space, followed by theories covering the material bases of contextual representations in the hippocampus (engrams), exploring functional characteristics of the cells and subfields within. Next, we explore various methodological approaches for investigating contextual memory engrams, emphasizing plasticity mechanisms. This leads us to discuss the role of neuromodulatory inputs in governing these dynamic changes. We then outline a recent hypothesis involving noradrenergic and dopaminergic projections from the locus coeruleus (LC) to different subregions of the hippocampus, in sculpting contextual representations, giving a brief description of the neuroanatomical and physiological properties of the LC. Finally, we examine how activity in the LC influences contextual memory processes through synaptic plasticity mechanisms to alter hippocampal engrams. Overall, we find that phasic activation of the LC plays an important role in promoting new learning and altering mnemonic processes at the behavioral and cellular level through the neuromodulatory influence of NE/DA in the hippocampus. These findings may provide insight into mechanisms of hippocampal remapping and memory updating, memory processes that are potentially dysregulated in certain psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L. Grella
- MNEME Lab, Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Tia N. Donaldson
- Systems Neuroscience and Behavior Lab, Department of Psychology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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14
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Ferini-Strambi L, Liguori C, Lucey BP, Mander BA, Spira AP, Videnovic A, Baumann C, Franco O, Fernandes M, Gnarra O, Krack P, Manconi M, Noain D, Saxena S, Kallweit U, Randerath W, Trenkwalder C, Rosenzweig I, Iranzo A, Bradicich M, Bassetti C. Role of sleep in neurodegeneration: the consensus report of the 5th Think Tank World Sleep Forum. Neurol Sci 2024; 45:749-767. [PMID: 38087143 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-023-07232-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Sleep abnormalities may represent an independent risk factor for neurodegeneration. An international expert group convened in 2021 to discuss the state-of-the-science in this domain. The present article summarizes the presentations and discussions concerning the importance of a strategy for studying sleep- and circadian-related interventions for early detection and prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. An international expert group considered the current state of knowledge based on the most relevant publications in the previous 5 years; discussed the current challenges in the field of relationships among sleep, sleep disorders, and neurodegeneration; and identified future priorities. Sleep efficiency and slow wave activity during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep are decreased in cognitively normal middle-aged and older adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Sleep deprivation increases amyloid-β (Aβ) concentrations in the interstitial fluid of experimental animal models and in cerebrospinal fluid in humans, while increased sleep decreases Aβ. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a risk factor for dementia. Studies indicate that positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment should be started in patients with mild cognitive impairment or AD and comorbid OSA. Identification of other measures of nocturnal hypoxia and sleep fragmentation could better clarify the role of OSA as a risk factor for neurodegeneration. Concerning REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), it will be crucial to identify the subset of RBD patients who will convert to a specific neurodegenerative disorder. Circadian sleep-wake rhythm disorders (CSWRD) are strong predictors of caregiver stress and institutionalization, but the absence of recommendations or consensus statements must be considered. Future priorities include to develop and validate existing and novel comprehensive assessments of CSWRD in patients with/at risk for dementia. Strategies for studying sleep-circadian-related interventions for early detection/prevention of neurodegenerative diseases are required. CSWRD evaluation may help to identify additional biomarkers for phenotyping and personalizing treatment of neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Ferini-Strambi
- Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
| | - Claudio Liguori
- Sleep Medicine Center, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Brendan P Lucey
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Bryce A Mander
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Adam P Spira
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Aleksandar Videnovic
- Department of Neurology, Division of Sleep Medicine, Massachussets General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christian Baumann
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Oscar Franco
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Oriella Gnarra
- Department of Neurology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Paul Krack
- Department of Neurology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Mauro Manconi
- Sleep Medicine Unit, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Neurocenter of the Southern Switzerland, Regional Hospital of Lugano, Università Della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Daniela Noain
- Department of Neurology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Smita Saxena
- Department of Neurology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ulf Kallweit
- Clinical Sleep and Neuroimmunology, University Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany
| | | | - C Trenkwalder
- Department of Neurosurgery, Paracelsus-Elena Klinik, University Medical Center, KasselGoettingen, Germany
| | - Ivana Rosenzweig
- Sleep and Brain Plasticity Centre, Department of Neuroimaging, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alex Iranzo
- Sleep Center, Neurology Service, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERNED, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Matteo Bradicich
- Department of Pulmonology and Sleep Disorders Centre, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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15
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Orlando IF, O'Callaghan C, Lam A, McKinnon AC, Tan JBC, Michaelian JC, Kong SDX, D'Rozario AL, Naismith SL. Sleep spindle architecture associated with distinct clinical phenotypes in older adults at risk for dementia. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:402-411. [PMID: 38052981 PMCID: PMC11116104 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02335-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Sleep spindles are a hallmark of non-REM sleep and play a fundamental role in memory consolidation. Alterations in these spindles are emerging as sensitive biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases of ageing. Understanding the clinical presentations associated with spindle alterations may help to elucidate the functional role of these distinct electroencephalographic oscillations and the pathophysiology of sleep and neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we use a data-driven approach to examine the sleep, memory and default mode network connectivity phenotypes associated with sleep spindle architecture in older adults (mean age = 66 years). Participants were recruited from a specialist clinic for early diagnosis and intervention for cognitive decline, with a proportion showing mild cognitive deficits on neuropsychological testing. In a sample of 88 people who underwent memory assessment, overnight polysomnography and resting-state fMRI, a k-means cluster analysis was applied to spindle measures of interest: fast spindle density, spindle duration and spindle amplitude. This resulted in three clusters, characterised by preserved spindle architecture with higher fast spindle density and longer spindle duration (Cluster 1), and alterations in spindle architecture (Clusters 2 and 3). These clusters were further characterised by reduced memory (Clusters 2 and 3) and nocturnal hypoxemia, associated with sleep apnea (Cluster 3). Resting-state fMRI analysis confirmed that default mode connectivity was related to spindle architecture, although directionality of this relationship differed across the cluster groups. Together, these results confirm a diversity in spindle architecture in older adults, associated with clinically meaningful phenotypes, including memory function and sleep apnea. They suggest that resting-state default mode connectivity during the awake state can be associated with sleep spindle architecture; however, this is highly dependent on clinical phenotype. Establishing relationships between clinical and neuroimaging features and sleep spindle alterations will advance our understanding of the bidirectional relationships between sleep changes and neurodegenerative diseases of ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella F Orlando
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Claire O'Callaghan
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Aaron Lam
- Healthy Brain Ageing Program, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew C McKinnon
- Healthy Brain Ageing Program, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Joshua B C Tan
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Johannes C Michaelian
- Healthy Brain Ageing Program, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Shawn D X Kong
- Healthy Brain Ageing Program, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence to Optimise Sleep in Brain Ageing and Neurodegeneration (CogSleep CRE), Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Angela L D'Rozario
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence to Optimise Sleep in Brain Ageing and Neurodegeneration (CogSleep CRE), Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- CIRUS, Centre for Sleep and Chronobiology, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sharon L Naismith
- Healthy Brain Ageing Program, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence to Optimise Sleep in Brain Ageing and Neurodegeneration (CogSleep CRE), Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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16
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Trujillo P, Aumann MA, Claassen DO. Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI as a promising biomarker of catecholamine function. Brain 2024; 147:337-351. [PMID: 37669320 PMCID: PMC10834262 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Disruptions to dopamine and noradrenergic neurotransmission are noted in several neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. Neuromelanin-sensitive (NM)-MRI offers a non-invasive approach to visualize and quantify the structural and functional integrity of the substantia nigra and locus coeruleus. This method may aid in the diagnosis and quantification of longitudinal changes of disease and could provide a stratification tool for predicting treatment success of pharmacological interventions targeting the dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems. Given the growing clinical interest in NM-MRI, understanding the contrast mechanisms that generate this signal is crucial for appropriate interpretation of NM-MRI outcomes and for the continued development of quantitative MRI biomarkers that assess disease severity and progression. To date, most studies associate NM-MRI measurements to the content of the neuromelanin pigment and/or density of neuromelanin-containing neurons, while recent studies suggest that the main source of the NM-MRI contrast is not the presence of neuromelanin but the high-water content in the dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons. In this review, we consider the biological and physical basis for the NM-MRI contrast and discuss a wide range of interpretations of NM-MRI. We describe different acquisition and image processing approaches and discuss how these methods could be improved and standardized to facilitate large-scale multisite studies and translation into clinical use. We review the potential clinical applications in neurological and psychiatric disorders and the promise of NM-MRI as a biomarker of disease, and finally, we discuss the current limitations of NM-MRI that need to be addressed before this technique can be utilized as a biomarker and translated into clinical practice and offer suggestions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Trujillo
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Megan A Aumann
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Daniel O Claassen
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
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17
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Liu R, Guo Z, Li M, Liu S, Zhi Y, Jiang Z, Liang X, Hu H, Zhu J. Lower fractional dimension in Alzheimer's disease correlates with reduced locus coeruleus signal intensity. Magn Reson Imaging 2024; 106:24-30. [PMID: 37541457 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2023.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the pattern of fractional dimension (FD) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and investigate the relationship between FD and the locus coeruleus (LC) signal intensity.A total of 27 patients with AD and 25 healthy controls (HC) were collected to estimate the pattern of fractional dimension (FD) and cortical thickness (CT) using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12), and statistically analyze between groups on a vertex level using statistical parametric mapping 12. In addition, they were examined by neuromelanin sensitive MRI(NM-MRI) technique to calculate the locus coeruleus signal contrast ratios (LC-CRs). Additionally, correlations between the pattern of FD and LC-CRs were further examined.Compared to HC, AD patients showed widespread lower CT and FD Furthermore, significant positive correlation was found between local fractional dimension (LFD) of the left rostral middle frontal cortex and LC-CRs. Results suggest lower cortical LFD is associated with LCCRs that may reflect a reduction due to broader neurodegenerative processes. This finding may highlight the potential utility for advanced measures of cortical complexity in assessing brain health and early identification of neurodegenerative processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Liu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Zhiwen Guo
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Meng Li
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Shanwen Liu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Yuqi Zhi
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Zhen Jiang
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China
| | - Xiaoyun Liang
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Clinical Innovation, Neusoft Medical Systems Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200241, China; Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3084, Australia
| | - Hua Hu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China.
| | - Jiangtao Zhu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215004, China.
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18
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Aganj I, Mora J, Fischl B, Augustinack JC. Automatic Geometry-based Estimation of the Locus Coeruleus Region on T 1-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Images. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.23.576958. [PMID: 38328208 PMCID: PMC10849695 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.23.576958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a key brain structure implicated in cognitive function and neurodegenerative disease. Automatic segmentation of the LC is a crucial step in quantitative non-invasive analysis of the LC in large MRI cohorts. Most publicly available imaging databases for training automatic LC segmentation models take advantage of specialized contrast-enhancing (e.g., neuromelanin-sensitive) MRI. Segmentation models developed with such image contrasts, however, are not readily applicable to existing datasets with conventional MRI sequences. In this work, we evaluate the feasibility of using non-contrast neuroanatomical information to geometrically approximate the LC region from standard 3-Tesla T1-weighted images of 20 subjects from the Human Connectome Project (HCP). We employ this dataset to train and internally/externally evaluate two automatic localization methods, the Expected Label Value and the U-Net. We also test the hypothesis that using the phase image as input can improve the robustness of out-of-sample segmentation. We then apply our trained models to a larger subset of HCP, while exploratorily correlating LC imaging variables and structural connectivity with demographic and clinical data. This report contributes and provides an evaluation of two computational methods estimating neural structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Aganj
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Radiology Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
- Radiology Department, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jocelyn Mora
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Radiology Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Bruce Fischl
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Radiology Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
- Radiology Department, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jean C. Augustinack
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Radiology Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
- Radiology Department, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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19
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Weber LM, Divecha HR, Tran MN, Kwon SH, Spangler A, Montgomery KD, Tippani M, Bharadwaj R, Kleinman JE, Page SC, Hyde TM, Collado-Torres L, Maynard KR, Martinowich K, Hicks SC. The gene expression landscape of the human locus coeruleus revealed by single-nucleus and spatially-resolved transcriptomics. eLife 2024; 12:RP84628. [PMID: 38266073 PMCID: PMC10945708 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Norepinephrine (NE) neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) make long-range projections throughout the central nervous system, playing critical roles in arousal and mood, as well as various components of cognition including attention, learning, and memory. The LC-NE system is also implicated in multiple neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Importantly, LC-NE neurons are highly sensitive to degeneration in both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Despite the clinical importance of the brain region and the prominent role of LC-NE neurons in a variety of brain and behavioral functions, a detailed molecular characterization of the LC is lacking. Here, we used a combination of spatially-resolved transcriptomics and single-nucleus RNA-sequencing to characterize the molecular landscape of the LC region and the transcriptomic profile of LC-NE neurons in the human brain. We provide a freely accessible resource of these data in web-accessible and downloadable formats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas M Weber
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Heena R Divecha
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Matthew N Tran
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Sang Ho Kwon
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Abby Spangler
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Kelsey D Montgomery
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Madhavi Tippani
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Rahul Bharadwaj
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Joel E Kleinman
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Stephanie C Page
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Thomas M Hyde
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | | | - Kristen R Maynard
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Keri Martinowich
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical CampusBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Stephanie C Hicks
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreUnited States
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20
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Beckers E, Riphagen JM, Van Egroo M, Bennett DA, Jacobs HIL. Sparse Asymmetry in Locus Coeruleus Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 99:105-111. [PMID: 38607758 DOI: 10.3233/jad-231328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Tau accumulation in and neurodegeneration of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons is observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated whether tangle and neuronal density in the rostral and caudal LC is characterized by an asymmetric pattern in 77 autopsy cases of the Rush Memory and Aging Project. We found left-right equivalence for tangle density across individuals with and without AD pathology. However, neuronal density, particularly in the caudal-rostral axis of the LC, is asymmetric among individuals with AD pathology. Asymmetry in LC neuronal density may signal advanced disease progression and should be considered in AD neuroimaging studies of LC neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Beckers
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Joost M Riphagen
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maxime Van Egroo
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - David A Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center and Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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21
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Galgani A, Giorgi FS. Exploring the Role of Locus Coeruleus in Alzheimer's Disease: a Comprehensive Update on MRI Studies and Implications. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2023; 23:925-936. [PMID: 38064152 PMCID: PMC10724305 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-023-01324-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Performing a thorough review of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies assessing locus coeruleus (LC) integrity in ageing and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and contextualizing them with current preclinical and neuropathological literature. RECENT FINDINGS MRI successfully detected LC alterations in ageing and AD, identifying degenerative phenomena involving this nucleus even in the prodromal stages of the disorder. The degree of LC disruption was also associated with the severity of AD cortical pathology, cognitive and behavioral impairment, and the risk of clinical progression. Locus coeruleus-MRI has proved to be a useful tool to assess the integrity of the central noradrenergic system in vivo in humans. It allowed to test in patients preclinical and experimental hypothesis, thus confirming the specific and marked involvement of the LC in AD and its key pathogenetic role. Locus coeruleus-MRI-related data might represent the theoretical basis on which to start developing noradrenergic drugs to target AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Galgani
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies School of Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo Sean Giorgi
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies School of Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
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22
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Freeze WM, van Veluw SJ, Jansen WJ, Bennett DA, Jacobs HIL. Locus coeruleus pathology is associated with cerebral microangiopathy at autopsy. Alzheimers Dement 2023; 19:5023-5035. [PMID: 37095709 PMCID: PMC10593911 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION We investigated the link between locus coeruleus (LC) pathology and cerebral microangiopathy in two large neuropathology datasets. METHODS We included data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) database (n = 2197) and Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project (ROSMAP; n = 1637). Generalized estimating equations and logistic regression were used to examine associations between LC hypopigmentation and presence of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) or arteriolosclerosis, correcting for age at death, sex, cortical Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, ante mortem cognitive status, and presence of vascular and genetic risk factors. RESULTS LC hypopigmentation was associated with higher odds of overall CAA in the NACC dataset, leptomeningeal CAA in the ROSMAP dataset, and arteriolosclerosis in both datasets. DISCUSSION LC pathology is associated with cerebral microangiopathy, independent of cortical AD pathology. LC degeneration could potentially contribute to the pathways relating vascular pathology to AD. Future studies of the LC-norepinephrine system on cerebrovascular health are warranted. HIGHLIGHTS We associated locus coeruleus (LC) pathology and cerebral microangiopathy in two large autopsy datasets. LC hypopigmentation was consistently related to arteriolosclerosis in both datasets. LC hypopigmentation was related to cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) presence in the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center dataset. LC hypopigmentation was related to leptomeningeal CAA in the Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project dataset. LC degeneration may play a role in the pathways relating vascular pathology to Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- WM Freeze
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Alzheimer Center Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6229 ET, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - SJ van Veluw
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, J. Philip Kistler Stroke Research Center, MGH, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - WJ Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Alzheimer Center Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6229 ET, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85006, USA
| | - DA Bennett
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center; Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - HIL Jacobs
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Alzheimer Center Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6229 ET, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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23
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Ye R, Hezemans FH, O'Callaghan C, Tsvetanov KA, Rua C, Jones PS, Holland N, Malpetti M, Murley AG, Barker RA, Williams-Gray CH, Robbins TW, Passamonti L, Rowe JB. Locus Coeruleus Integrity Is Linked to Response Inhibition Deficits in Parkinson's Disease and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7028-7040. [PMID: 37669861 PMCID: PMC10586538 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0289-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) both impair response inhibition, exacerbating impulsivity. Inhibitory control deficits vary across individuals and are linked with worse prognosis, and lack improvement on dopaminergic therapy. Motor and cognitive control are associated with noradrenergic innervation of the cortex, arising from the locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic system. Here we test the hypothesis that structural variation of the LC explains response inhibition deficits in PSP and PD. Twenty-four people with idiopathic PD, 14 with PSP-Richardson's syndrome, and 24 age- and sex-matched controls undertook a stop-signal task and ultrahigh field 7T magnetization-transfer-weighted imaging of the LC. Parameters of "race models" of go- versus stop-decisions were estimated using hierarchical Bayesian methods to quantify the cognitive processes of response inhibition. We tested the multivariate relationship between LC integrity and model parameters using partial least squares. Both disorders impaired response inhibition at the group level. PSP caused a distinct pattern of abnormalities in inhibitory control with a paradoxically reduced threshold for go responses, but longer nondecision times, and more lapses of attention. The variation in response inhibition correlated with the variability of LC integrity across participants in both clinical groups. Structural imaging of the LC, coupled with behavioral modeling in parkinsonian disorders, confirms that LC integrity is associated with response inhibition and LC degeneration contributes to neurobehavioral changes. The noradrenergic system is therefore a promising target to treat impulsivity in these conditions. The optimization of noradrenergic treatment is likely to benefit from stratification according to LC integrity.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Response inhibition deficits contribute to clinical symptoms and poor outcomes in people with Parkinson's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. We used cognitive modeling of performance of a response inhibition task to identify disease-specific mechanisms of abnormal inhibitory control. Response inhibition in both patient groups was associated with the integrity of the noradrenergic locus coeruleus, which we measured in vivo using ultra-high field MRI. We propose that the imaging biomarker of locus coeruleus integrity provides a trans-diagnostic tool to explain individual differences in response inhibition ability beyond the classic nosological borders and diagnostic criteria. Our data suggest a potential new stratified treatment approach for Parkinson's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Ye
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230032, China
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230032, China
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Frank H Hezemans
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 GD Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Claire O'Callaghan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kamen A Tsvetanov
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Catarina Rua
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
| | - P Simon Jones
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Negin Holland
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Maura Malpetti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander G Murley
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Roger A Barker
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
- Wellcome-MRC Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline H Williams-Gray
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Luca Passamonti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
- Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, National Research Council, 88100, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
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24
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Dahl MJ, Kulesza A, Werkle-Bergner M, Mather M. Declining locus coeruleus-dopaminergic and noradrenergic modulation of long-term memory in aging and Alzheimer's disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105358. [PMID: 37597700 PMCID: PMC10591841 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Memory is essential in defining our identity by guiding behavior based on past experiences. However, aging leads to declining memory, disrupting older adult's lives. Memories are encoded through experience-dependent modifications of synaptic strength, which are regulated by the catecholamines dopamine and noradrenaline. While cognitive aging research demonstrates how dopaminergic neuromodulation from the substantia nigra-ventral tegmental area regulates hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory, recent findings indicate that the noradrenergic locus coeruleus sends denser inputs to the hippocampus. The locus coeruleus produces dopamine as biosynthetic precursor of noradrenaline, and releases both to modulate hippocampal plasticity and memory. Crucially, the locus coeruleus is also the first site to accumulate Alzheimer's-related abnormal tau and severely degenerates with disease development. New in-vivo assessments of locus coeruleus integrity reveal associations with Alzheimer's markers and late-life memory impairments, which likely stem from impaired dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission. Bridging research across species, the reviewed findings suggest that degeneration of the locus coeruleus results in deficient dopaminergic and noradrenergic modulation of hippocampal plasticity and thus memory decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 90089 Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Agnieszka Kulesza
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Markus Werkle-Bergner
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mara Mather
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 90089 Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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25
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Bell TR, Elman JA, Beck A, Fennema-Notestine C, Gustavson DE, Hagler DJ, Jak AJ, Lyons MJ, Puckett OK, Toomey R, Franz CE, Kremen WS. Rostral-middle locus coeruleus integrity and subjective cognitive decline in early old age. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2023; 29:763-774. [PMID: 36524301 PMCID: PMC10272292 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617722000881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Abnormal tau, a hallmark Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, may appear in the locus coeruleus (LC) decades before AD symptom onset. Reports of subjective cognitive decline are also often present prior to formal diagnosis. Yet, the relationship between LC structural integrity and subjective cognitive decline has remained unexplored. Here, we aimed to explore these potential associations. METHODS We examined 381 community-dwelling men (mean age = 67.58; SD = 2.62) in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging who underwent LC-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging and completed the Everyday Cognition scale to measure subjective cognitive decline along with their selected informants. Mixed models examined the associations between rostral-middle and caudal LC integrity and subjective cognitive decline after adjusting for depressive symptoms, physical morbidities, and family. Models also adjusted for current objective cognitive performance and objective cognitive decline to explore attenuation. RESULTS For participant ratings, lower rostral-middle LC contrast to noise ratio (LCCNR) was associated with significantly greater subjective decline in memory, executive function, and visuospatial abilities. For informant ratings, lower rostral-middle LCCNR was associated with significantly greater subjective decline in memory only. Associations remained after adjusting for current objective cognition and objective cognitive decline in respective domains. CONCLUSIONS Lower rostral-middle LC integrity is associated with greater subjective cognitive decline. Although not explained by objective cognitive performance, such a relationship may explain increased AD risk in people with subjective cognitive decline as the LC is an important neural substrate important for higher order cognitive processing, attention, and arousal and one of the first sites of AD pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R. Bell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Jeremy A. Elman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Asad Beck
- Center for Neurotechnology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christine Fennema-Notestine
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Daniel E. Gustavson
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Donald J. Hagler
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Amy J. Jak
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Michael J Lyons
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA, 02215
| | - Olivia K. Puckett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Rosemary Toomey
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA, 02215
| | - Carol E. Franz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - William S. Kremen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
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26
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Krohn F, Lancini E, Ludwig M, Leiman M, Guruprasath G, Haag L, Panczyszyn J, Düzel E, Hämmerer D, Betts M. Noradrenergic neuromodulation in ageing and disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105311. [PMID: 37437752 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a small brainstem structure located in the lower pons and is the main source of noradrenaline (NA) in the brain. Via its phasic and tonic firing, it modulates cognition and autonomic functions and is involved in the brain's immune response. The extent of degeneration to the LC in healthy ageing remains unclear, however, noradrenergic dysfunction may contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite their differences in progression at later disease stages, the early involvement of the LC may lead to comparable behavioural symptoms such as preclinical sleep problems and neuropsychiatric symptoms as a result of AD and PD pathology. In this review, we draw attention to the mechanisms that underlie LC degeneration in ageing, AD and PD. We aim to motivate future research to investigate how early degeneration of the noradrenergic system may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of AD and PD which may also be relevant to other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Krohn
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - E Lancini
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - M Ludwig
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - M Leiman
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - G Guruprasath
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - L Haag
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - J Panczyszyn
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - E Düzel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London UK-WC1E 6BT, UK; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - D Hämmerer
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London UK-WC1E 6BT, UK; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - M Betts
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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27
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Dahl MJ, Bachman SL, Dutt S, Düzel S, Bodammer NC, Lindenberger U, Kühn S, Werkle-Bergner M, Mather M. The integrity of dopaminergic and noradrenergic brain regions is associated with different aspects of late-life memory performance. NATURE AGING 2023; 3:1128-1143. [PMID: 37653256 PMCID: PMC10501910 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-023-00469-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Changes in dopaminergic neuromodulation play a key role in adult memory decline. Recent research has also implicated noradrenaline in shaping late-life memory. However, it is unclear whether these two neuromodulators have distinct roles in age-related cognitive changes. Here, combining longitudinal MRI of the dopaminergic substantia nigra-ventral tegmental area (SN-VTA) and noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) in younger (n = 69) and older (n = 251) adults, we found that dopaminergic and noradrenergic integrity are differentially associated with memory performance. While LC integrity was related to better episodic memory across several tasks, SN-VTA integrity was linked to working memory. Longitudinally, we found that older age was associated with more negative change in SN-VTA and LC integrity. Notably, changes in LC integrity reliably predicted future episodic memory. These differential associations of dopaminergic and noradrenergic nuclei with late-life cognitive decline have potential clinical utility, given their degeneration in several age-associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Shelby L Bachman
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shubir Dutt
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sandra Düzel
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nils C Bodammer
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, UK
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simone Kühn
- Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Werkle-Bergner
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mara Mather
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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28
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Iannitelli AF, Weinshenker D. Riddles in the dark: Decoding the relationship between neuromelanin and neurodegeneration in locus coeruleus neurons. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105287. [PMID: 37327835 PMCID: PMC10523397 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) is among the first regions of the brain affected by pathology in both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), but the reasons for this selective vulnerability are not completely understood. Several features of LC neurons have been proposed as contributing factors to this dysfunction and degeneration, and this review will focus on the presence of neuromelanin (NM). NM is a dark pigment unique to catecholaminergic cells that is formed of norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) metabolites, heavy metals, protein aggregates, and oxidated lipids. We cover what is currently known about NM and the limitations of historical approaches, then discuss the new human tyrosinase (hTyr) model of NM production in rodent catecholamine cells in vivo that offers unique opportunities for studying its neurobiology, neurotoxicity, and potential of NM-based therapeutics for treating neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa F Iannitelli
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - David Weinshenker
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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29
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Veréb D, Mijalkov M, Canal-Garcia A, Chang YW, Gomez-Ruiz E, Gerboles BZ, Kivipelto M, Svenningsson P, Zetterberg H, Volpe G, Betts M, Jacobs HIL, Pereira JB. Age-related differences in the functional topography of the locus coeruleus and their implications for cognitive and affective functions. eLife 2023; 12:RP87188. [PMID: 37650882 PMCID: PMC10471162 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is an important noradrenergic nucleus that has recently attracted a lot of attention because of its emerging role in cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Although previous histological studies have shown that the LC has heterogeneous connections and cellular features, no studies have yet assessed its functional topography in vivo, how this heterogeneity changes over aging, and whether it is associated with cognition and mood. Here, we employ a gradient-based approach to characterize the functional heterogeneity in the organization of the LC over aging using 3T resting-state fMRI in a population-based cohort aged from 18 to 88 years of age (Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort, n=618). We show that the LC exhibits a rostro-caudal functional gradient along its longitudinal axis, which was replicated in an independent dataset (Human Connectome Project [HCP] 7T dataset, n=184). Although the main rostro-caudal direction of this gradient was consistent across age groups, its spatial features varied with increasing age, emotional memory, and emotion regulation. More specifically, a loss of rostral-like connectivity, more clustered functional topography, and greater asymmetry between right and left LC gradients was associated with higher age and worse behavioral performance. Furthermore, participants with higher-than-normal Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) ratings exhibited alterations in the gradient as well, which manifested in greater asymmetry. These results provide an in vivo account of how the functional topography of the LC changes over aging, and imply that spatial features of this organization are relevant markers of LC-related behavioral measures and psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dániel Veréb
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Mite Mijalkov
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Anna Canal-Garcia
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Yu-Wei Chang
- Department of Physics, Goteborg UniversityGoteborgSweden
| | | | - Blanca Zufiria Gerboles
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Miia Kivipelto
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
- University of Eastern FinlandKuopioFinland
| | - Per Svenningsson
- University of Eastern FinlandKuopioFinland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of GothenburgMölndalSweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University HospitalMölndalSweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of NeurologyLondonUnited Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCLLondonUnited Kingdom
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water BayHong KongChina
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | - Giovanni Volpe
- Department of Physics, Goteborg UniversityGoteborgSweden
| | - Matthew Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
| | - Heidi IL Jacobs
- Maastricht UniversityMaastrichtNetherlands
- Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
| | - Joana B Pereira
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
- Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund UniversityLundSweden
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30
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Gargano A, Olabiyi BF, Palmisano M, Zimmer A, Bilkei-Gorzo A. Possible role of locus coeruleus neuronal loss in age-related memory and attention deficits. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1264253. [PMID: 37694113 PMCID: PMC10492095 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1264253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Aging is associated with a decline in cognitive abilities, including memory and attention. It is generally accepted that age-related histological changes such as increased neuroinflammatory glial activity and a reduction in the number of specific neuronal populations contribute to cognitive aging. Noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) undergo an approximately 20 % loss during ageing both in humans and mice, but whether this change contributes to cognitive deficits is not known. To address this issue, we asked whether a similar loss of LC neurons in young animals as observed in aged animals impairs memory and attention, cognitive domains that are both influenced by the noradrenergic system and impaired in aging. Methods For that, we treated young healthy mice with DSP-4, a toxin that specifically kills LC noradrenergic neurons. We compared the performance of DSP-4 treated young mice with the performance of aged mice in models of attention and memory. To do this, we first determined the dose of DSP-4, which causes a similar 20 % neuronal loss as is typical in aged animals. Results Young mice treated with DSP-4 showed impaired attention in the presence of distractor and memory deficits in the 5-choice serial reaction time test (5-CSRTT). Old, untreated mice showed severe deficits in both the 5-CSRTT and in fear extinction tests. Discussion Our data now suggest that a reduction in the number of LC neurons contributes to impaired working memory and greater distractibility in attentional tasks but not to deficits in fear extinction. We hypothesize that the moderate loss of LC noradrenergic neurons during aging contributes to attention deficits and working memory impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Andras Bilkei-Gorzo
- Medical Faculty, Institute of Molecular Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus, Bonn, Germany
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31
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Matt RA, Martin RS, Evans AK, Gever JR, Vargas GA, Shamloo M, Ford AP. Locus Coeruleus and Noradrenergic Pharmacology in Neurodegenerative Disease. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2023. [PMID: 37495851 DOI: 10.1007/164_2023_677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Adrenoceptors (ARs) throughout the brain are stimulated by noradrenaline originating mostly from neurons of the locus coeruleus, a brainstem nucleus that is ostensibly the earliest to show detectable pathology in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The α1-AR, α2-AR, and β-AR subtypes expressed in target brain regions and on a range of cell populations define the physiological responses to noradrenaline, which includes activation of cognitive function in addition to modulation of neurometabolism, cerebral blood flow, and neuroinflammation. As these heterocellular functions are critical for maintaining brain homeostasis and neuronal health, combating the loss of noradrenergic tone from locus coeruleus degeneration may therefore be an effective treatment for both cognitive symptoms and disease modification in neurodegenerative indications. Two pharmacologic approaches are receiving attention in recent clinical studies: preserving noradrenaline levels (e.g., via reuptake inhibition) and direct activation of target adrenoceptors. Here, we review the expression and role of adrenoceptors in the brain, the preclinical studies which demonstrate that adrenergic stimulation can support cognitive function and cerebral health by reversing the effects of noradrenaline depletion, and the human data provided by pharmacoepidemiologic analyses and clinical trials which together identify adrenoceptors as promising targets for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andrew K Evans
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Mehrdad Shamloo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
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32
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Wolters AF, Heijmans M, Priovoulos N, Jacobs HIL, Postma AA, Temel Y, Kuijf ML, Michielse S. Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson's disease and controls. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 39:103479. [PMID: 37494758 PMCID: PMC10394012 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Neuromelanin related signal changes in catecholaminergic nuclei are considered as a promising MRI biomarker in Parkinson's disease (PD). Until now, most studies have investigated the substantia nigra (SN), while signal changes might be more prominent in the locus coeruleus (LC). Ultra-high field MRI improves the visualisation of these small brainstem regions and might support the development of imaging biomarkers in PD. OBJECTIVES To compare signal intensity of the SN and LC on Magnetization Transfer MRI between PD patients and healthy controls (HC) and to explore its association with cognitive performance in PD. METHODS This study was conducted using data from the TRACK-PD study, a longitudinal 7T MRI study. A total of 78 early-stage PD patients and 36 HC were included. A mask for the SN and LC was automatically segmented and manually corrected. Neuromelanin related signal intensity of the SN and LC was compared between PD and HC. RESULTS PD participants showed a lower contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the right SN (p = 0.029) and left LC (p = 0.027). After adding age as a confounder, the CNR of the right SN did not significantly differ anymore between PD and HC (p = 0.055). Additionally, a significant positive correlation was found between the SN CNR and memory function. DISCUSSION This study confirms that neuromelanin related signal intensity of the LC differs between early-stage PD patients and HC. No significant difference was found in the SN. This supports the theory of bottom-up disease progression in PD. Furthermore, loss of SN integrity might influence working memory or learning capabilities in PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amée F Wolters
- Department of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Margot Heijmans
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Nikos Priovoulos
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Alida A Postma
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, The Netherlands
| | - Yasin Temel
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Neurosurgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Mark L Kuijf
- Department of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Stijn Michielse
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Berger A, Koshmanova E, Beckers E, Sharifpour R, Paparella I, Campbell I, Mortazavi N, Balda F, Yi YJ, Lamalle L, Dricot L, Phillips C, Jacobs HIL, Talwar P, El Tahry R, Sherif S, Vandewalle G. Structural and functional characterization of the locus coeruleus in young and late middle-aged individuals. FRONTIERS IN NEUROIMAGING 2023; 2:1207844. [PMID: 37554637 PMCID: PMC10406214 DOI: 10.3389/fnimg.2023.1207844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The brainstem locus coeruleus (LC) influences a broad range of brain processes, including cognition. The so-called LC contrast is an accepted marker of the integrity of the LC that consists of a local hyperintensity on specific Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) structural images. The small size of the LC has, however, rendered its functional characterization difficult in humans, including in aging. A full characterization of the structural and functional characteristics of the LC in healthy young and late middle-aged individuals is needed to determine the potential roles of the LC in different medical conditions. Here, we wanted to determine whether the activation of the LC in a mismatch negativity task changes in aging and whether the LC functional response was associated to the LC contrast. METHODS We used Ultra-High Field (UHF) 7-Tesla functional MRI (fMRI) to record brain response during an auditory oddball task in 53 healthy volunteers, including 34 younger (age: 22.15y ± 3.27; 29 women) and 19 late middle-aged (age: 61.05y ± 5.3; 14 women) individuals. RESULTS Whole-brain analyses confirmed brain responses in the typical cortical and subcortical regions previously associated with mismatch negativity. When focusing on the brainstem, we found a significant response in the rostral part of the LC probability mask generated based on individual LC images. Although bilateral, the activation was more extensive in the left LC. Individual LC activity was not significantly different between young and late middle-aged individuals. Importantly, while the LC contrast was higher in older individuals, the functional response of the LC was not significantly associated with its contrast. DISCUSSION These findings may suggest that the age-related alterations of the LC structural integrity may not be related to changes in its functional response. The results further suggest that LC responses may remain stable in healthy individuals aged 20 to 70.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Berger
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Synergia Medical SA, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium
| | - Ekaterina Koshmanova
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Elise Beckers
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Roya Sharifpour
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Ilenia Paparella
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Islay Campbell
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Nasrin Mortazavi
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Fermin Balda
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Yeo-Jin Yi
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Laurent Lamalle
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Laurence Dricot
- Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Christophe Phillips
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Heidi I. L. Jacobs
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Department of Radiology, Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Puneet Talwar
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Riëm El Tahry
- Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Center for Refractory Epilepsy, Department of Neurology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
- Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology (WELBIO) Department, WEL Research Institute, Wavre, Belgium
| | - Siya Sherif
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Gilles Vandewalle
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Cyclotron Research Centre-In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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Tang Y, Cao M, Li Y, Lin Y, Wu X, Chen M. Altered structural covariance of locus coeruleus in individuals with significant memory concern and patients with mild cognitive impairment. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:8523-8533. [PMID: 37130822 PMCID: PMC10321106 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is the site where tau accumulation is preferentially observed pathologically in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, but the changes in gray matter co-alteration patterns between the LC and the whole brain in the predementia phase of AD remain unclear. In this study, we estimated and compared the gray matter volume of the LC and its structural covariance (SC) with the whole brain among 161 normal healthy controls (HCs), 99 individuals with significant memory concern (SMC) and 131 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We found that SC decreased in MCI groups, which mainly involved the salience network and default mode network. These results imply that seeding from LC, the gray matter network disruption and disconnection appears early in the MCI group. The altered SC network seeding from the LC can serve as an imaging biomarker for discriminating the patients in the potential predementia phase of AD from the normal subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingmei Tang
- Department of Radiology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.107 Yanjiang Road West, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, China
| | - Minghui Cao
- Department of Radiology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.107 Yanjiang Road West, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, China
| | - Yunhua Li
- Department of Radiology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.107 Yanjiang Road West, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuting Lin
- School of Psychology, Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, No.55 Zhongshan Avenue West, Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wu
- School of Psychology, Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, No.55 Zhongshan Avenue West, Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong, China
| | - Meiwei Chen
- Department of Radiology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No.107 Yanjiang Road West, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, China
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35
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Veréb D, Mijalkov M, Canal-Garcia A, Chang YW, Gomez-Ruis E, Gerboles BZ, Kivipelto M, Svenningsson P, Zetterberg H, Volpe G, Betts MJ, Jacobs H, Pereira JB. Age-related differences in the functional topography of the locus coeruleus: implications for cognitive and affective functions. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.02.25.23286442. [PMID: 37333117 PMCID: PMC10274957 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.25.23286442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is an important noradrenergic nucleus that has recently attracted a lot of attention because of its emerging role in cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Although previous histological studies have shown that the LC has heterogeneous connections and cellular features, no studies have yet assessed its functional topography in vivo, how this heterogeneity changes over aging and whether it is associated with cognition and mood. Here we employ a gradient-based approach to characterize the functional heterogeneity in the organization of the LC over aging using 3T resting-state fMRI in a population-based cohort aged from 18 to 88 years old (Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort, n=618). We show that the LC exhibits a rostro-caudal functional gradient along its longitudinal axis, which was replicated in an independent dataset (Human Connectome Project 7T dataset, n=184). Although the main rostro-caudal direction of this gradient was consistent across age groups, its spatial features varied with increasing age, emotional memory and emotion regulation. More specifically, a loss of rostral-like connectivity, more clustered functional topography and greater asymmetry between right and left LC gradients was associated with higher age and worse behavioral performance. Furthermore, participants with higher-than-normal Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ratings exhibited alterations in the gradient as well, which manifested in greater asymmetry. These results provide an in vivo account of how the functional topography of the LC changes over aging, and imply that spatial features of this organization are relevant markers of LC-related behavioral measures and psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dániel Veréb
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mite Mijalkov
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Canal-Garcia
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yu-Wei Chang
- Department of Physics, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden
| | | | - Blanca Zufiria Gerboles
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Miia Kivipelto
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Per Svenningsson
- University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Giovanni Volpe
- Department of Physics, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden
| | - Mathew J. Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Heidi Jacobs
- Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Joana B. Pereira
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Van Egroo M, Riphagen JM, Ashton NJ, Janelidze S, Sperling RA, Johnson KA, Yang HS, Bennett DA, Blennow K, Hansson O, Zetterberg H, Jacobs HIL. Ultra-high field imaging, plasma markers and autopsy data uncover a specific rostral locus coeruleus vulnerability to hyperphosphorylated tau. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2412-2422. [PMID: 37020050 PMCID: PMC10073793 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02041-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Autopsy data indicate that the locus coeruleus (LC) is one of the first sites in the brain to accumulate hyperphosphorylated tau pathology, with the rostral part possibly being more vulnerable in the earlier stages of the disease. Taking advantage of recent developments in ultra-high field (7 T) imaging, we investigated whether imaging measures of the LC also reveal a specific anatomic correlation with tau using novel plasma biomarkers of different species of hyperphosphorylated tau, how early in adulthood these associations can be detected and if are associated with worse cognitive performance. To validate the anatomic correlations, we tested if a rostro-caudal gradient in tau pathology is also detected at autopsy in data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP). We found that higher plasma measures of phosphorylated tau, in particular ptau231, correlated negatively with dorso-rostral LC integrity, whereas correlations for neurodegenerative plasma markers (neurofilament light, total tau) were scattered throughout the LC including middle to caudal sections. In contrast, the plasma Aβ42/40 ratio, associated with brain amyloidosis, did not correlate with LC integrity. These findings were specific to the rostral LC and not observed when using the entire LC or the hippocampus. Furthermore, in the MAP data, we observed higher rostral than caudal tangle density in the LC, independent of the disease stage. The in vivo LC-phosphorylated tau correlations became significant from midlife, with the earliest effect for ptau231, starting at about age 55. Finally, interactions between lower rostral LC integrity and higher ptau231 concentrations predicted lower cognitive performance. Together, these findings demonstrate a specific rostral vulnerability to early phosphorylated tau species that can be detected with dedicated magnetic resonance imaging measures, highlighting the promise of LC imaging as an early marker of AD-related processes.
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Grants
- R01 AG017917 NIA NIH HHS
- R01 AG068398 NIA NIH HHS
- R21 AG074220 NIA NIH HHS
- K23 AG062750 NIA NIH HHS
- R01 AG068062 NIA NIH HHS
- K01 AG001016 NIA NIH HHS
- ZEN-21-848495 Alzheimer's Association
- P01 AG036694 NIA NIH HHS
- R01 AG062559 NIA NIH HHS
- R01 AG015819 NIA NIH HHS
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Aging (U.S. National Institute on Aging)
- Alzheimer Nederland WE.03-2019-02
- BrightFocus Foundation (BrightFocus)
- Alzheimer’s Association
- Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF)
- Swedish Research Council (#2017-00915), the Alzheimer Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), USA (#RDAPB-201809-2016615), the Swedish Alzheimer Foundation (#AF-930351, #AF-939721 and #AF-968270), Hjärnfonden, Sweden (#FO2017-0243 and #ALZ2022-0006), the Swedish state under the agreement between the Swedish government and the County Councils, the ALF-agreement (#ALFGBG-715986 and #ALFGBG-965240), the European Union Joint Program for Neurodegenerative Disorders (JPND2019-466-236)
- Cure Alzheimer’s Fund (Alzheimer’s Disease Research Foundation)
- Swedish Research Council (2016-00906), the Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation (2017-0383), the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg foundation (2015.0125), the Strategic Research Area MultiPark (Multidisciplinary Research in Parkinson’s disease) at Lund University, the Swedish Alzheimer Foundation (AF-939932), the Swedish Brain Foundation (FO2021-0293), The Parkinson foundation of Sweden (1280/20), the Cure Alzheimer’s fund, the Konung Gustaf V:s och Drottning Victorias Frimurarestiftelse, the Skåne University Hospital Foundation (2020-O000028), Regionalt Forskningsstöd (2020-0314) and the Swedish federal government under the ALF agreement (2018-Projekt0279)
- HZ is a Wallenberg Scholar supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council (#2018-02532), the European Research Council (#681712 and #101053962), Swedish State Support for Clinical Research (#ALFGBG-71320), the Alzheimer Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), USA (#201809-2016862), the AD Strategic Fund and the Alzheimer’s Association (#ADSF-21-831376-C, #ADSF-21-831381-C, and #ADSF-21-831377-C), the Bluefield Project, the Olav Thon Foundation, the Erling-Persson Family Foundation, Stiftelsen för Gamla Tjänarinnor, Hjärnfonden, Sweden (#FO2022-0270), the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 860197 (MIRIADE), the European Union Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND2021-00694), and the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL (UKDRI-1003).
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Van Egroo
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joost M Riphagen
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas J Ashton
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Centre for Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Institute Clinical Neuroscience Institute, London, UK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health and Biomedical Research Unit for Dementia at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation, London, UK
| | - Shorena Janelidze
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Reisa A Sperling
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Keith A Johnson
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hyun-Sik Yang
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David A Bennett
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Oskar Hansson
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Memory Clinic, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Orlando IF, Shine JM, Robbins TW, Rowe JB, O'Callaghan C. Noradrenergic and cholinergic systems take centre stage in neuropsychiatric diseases of ageing. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 149:105167. [PMID: 37054802 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Noradrenergic and cholinergic systems are among the most vulnerable brain systems in neuropsychiatric diseases of ageing, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia, and progressive supranuclear palsy. As these systems fail, they contribute directly to many of the characteristic cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. However, their contribution to symptoms is not sufficiently understood, and pharmacological interventions targeting noradrenergic and cholinergic systems have met with mixed success. Part of the challenge is the complex neurobiology of these systems, operating across multiple timescales, and with non-linear changes across the adult lifespan and disease course. We address these challenges in a detailed review of the noradrenergic and cholinergic systems, outlining their roles in cognition and behaviour, and how they influence neuropsychiatric symptoms in disease. By bridging across levels of analysis, we highlight opportunities for improving drug therapies and for pursuing personalised medicine strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella F Orlando
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - James M Shine
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Claire O'Callaghan
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia.
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38
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Ehrenberg AJ, Kelberman MA, Liu KY, Dahl MJ, Weinshenker D, Falgàs N, Dutt S, Mather M, Ludwig M, Betts MJ, Winer JR, Teipel S, Weigand AJ, Eschenko O, Hämmerer D, Leiman M, Counts SE, Shine JM, Robertson IH, Levey AI, Lancini E, Son G, Schneider C, Egroo MV, Liguori C, Wang Q, Vazey EM, Rodriguez-Porcel F, Haag L, Bondi MW, Vanneste S, Freeze WM, Yi YJ, Maldinov M, Gatchel J, Satpati A, Babiloni C, Kremen WS, Howard R, Jacobs HIL, Grinberg LT. Priorities for research on neuromodulatory subcortical systems in Alzheimer's disease: Position paper from the NSS PIA of ISTAART. Alzheimers Dement 2023; 19:2182-2196. [PMID: 36642985 PMCID: PMC10182252 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The neuromodulatory subcortical system (NSS) nuclei are critical hubs for survival, hedonic tone, and homeostasis. Tau-associated NSS degeneration occurs early in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis, long before the emergence of pathognomonic memory dysfunction and cortical lesions. Accumulating evidence supports the role of NSS dysfunction and degeneration in the behavioral and neuropsychiatric manifestations featured early in AD. Experimental studies even suggest that AD-associated NSS degeneration drives brain neuroinflammatory status and contributes to disease progression, including the exacerbation of cortical lesions. Given the important pathophysiologic and etiologic roles that involve the NSS in early AD stages, there is an urgent need to expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying NSS vulnerability and more precisely detail the clinical progression of NSS changes in AD. Here, the NSS Professional Interest Area of the International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment highlights knowledge gaps about NSS within AD and provides recommendations for priorities specific to clinical research, biomarker development, modeling, and intervention. HIGHLIGHTS: Neuromodulatory nuclei degenerate in early Alzheimer's disease pathological stages. Alzheimer's pathophysiology is exacerbated by neuromodulatory nuclei degeneration. Neuromodulatory nuclei degeneration drives neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia. Biomarkers of neuromodulatory integrity would be value-creating for dementia care. Neuromodulatory nuclei present strategic prospects for disease-modifying therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Ehrenberg
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Michael A Kelberman
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kathy Y Liu
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Martin J Dahl
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - David Weinshenker
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Neus Falgàs
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Shubir Dutt
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Mara Mather
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Mareike Ludwig
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Matthew J Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Joseph R Winer
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Stefan Teipel
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Rostock/Greifswald, Rostock, Germany
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Alexandra J Weigand
- San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Oxana Eschenko
- Department of Computational Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Marina Leiman
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Scott E Counts
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
- Department of Family Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
- Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - James M Shine
- Brain and Mind Center, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ian H Robertson
- Global Brain Health Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Allan I Levey
- Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Goizueta Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Elisa Lancini
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Gowoon Son
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Christoph Schneider
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maxime Van Egroo
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Claudio Liguori
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Neurology Unit, University Hospital of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Qin Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Agusta University, Agusta, Georgia, USA
| | - Elena M Vazey
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Lena Haag
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Mark W Bondi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Psychology Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Sven Vanneste
- Global Brain Health Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity College Institute for Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Whitney M Freeze
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Department of Neuropsychology and Psychiatry, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Yeo-Jin Yi
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Mihovil Maldinov
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Jennifer Gatchel
- Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Abhijit Satpati
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Claudio Babiloni
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "V. Erspamer,", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Hospital San Raffaele Cassino, Cassino, Italy
| | - William S Kremen
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Robert Howard
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Lea T Grinberg
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
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Sibahi A, Gandhi R, Al-Haddad R, Therriault J, Pascoal T, Chamoun M, Boutin-Miller K, Tardif C, Rosa-Neto P, Cassidy CM. Characterization of an automated method to segment the human locus coeruleus. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:3913-3925. [PMID: 37126580 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Following the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to assay the integrity of catecholamine nuclei, including the locus coeruleus (LC), there has been an effort to develop automated methods that can accurately segment this small structure in an automated manner to promote its widespread use and overcome limitations of manual segmentation. Here we characterize an automated LC segmentation approach (referred to as the funnel-tip [FT] method) in healthy individuals and individuals with LC degeneration in the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD, confirmed with tau-PET imaging using [18F]MK6240). The first sample included n = 190 individuals across the AD spectrum from cognitively normal to moderate AD. LC signal assayed with FT segmentation showed excellent agreement with manual segmentation (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.91). Compared to other methods, the FT method showed numerically higher correlation to AD status (defined by presence of tau: Cohen's d = 0.64) and AD severity (Braak stage: Pearson R = -.35, cognitive function: R = .25). In a separate sample of n = 12 control participants, the FT method showed excellent scan-rescan reliability (ICC = 0.82). In another sample of n = 30 control participants, we found that the structure of the LC defined by FT segmentation approximated its expected shape as a contiguous line: <5% of LC voxels strayed >1 voxel (0.69 mm) from this line. The FT LC segmentation shows high agreement with manual segmentation and captures LC degeneration in AD. This practical method may facilitate larger research studies of the human LC-norepinephrine system and has potential to support future use of neuromelanin-sensitive MRI as a clinical biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Sibahi
- Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rushali Gandhi
- Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rami Al-Haddad
- Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joseph Therriault
- Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Douglas Research Institute, Le Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CIUSSS) de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Tharick Pascoal
- Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Douglas Research Institute, Le Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CIUSSS) de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Mira Chamoun
- Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Douglas Research Institute, Le Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CIUSSS) de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Krysta Boutin-Miller
- Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christine Tardif
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Pedro Rosa-Neto
- Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Douglas Research Institute, Le Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CIUSSS) de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Clifford M Cassidy
- Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, The McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Douglas Research Institute, Le Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CIUSSS) de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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40
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Kelberman MA, Rorabaugh JM, Anderson CR, Marriott A, DePuy SD, Rasmussen K, McCann KE, Weiss JM, Weinshenker D. Age-dependent dysregulation of locus coeruleus firing in a transgenic rat model of Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 125:98-108. [PMID: 36889122 PMCID: PMC10038926 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Hyperphosphorylated tau in the locus coeruleus (LC) is ubiquitous in prodromal Alzheimer's disease (AD), and LC neurons degenerate as AD progresses. Hyperphosphorylated tau alters firing rates in other brain regions, but its effects on LC neurons are unknown. We assessed single unit LC activity in anesthetized wild-type (WT) and TgF344-AD rats at 6 months, which represents a prodromal stage when LC neurons are the only cells containing hyperphosphorylated tau in TgF344-AD animals, and at 15 months when amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau pathology are both abundant in the forebrain. At baseline, LC neurons from TgF344-AD rats were hypoactive at both ages compared to WT littermates but showed elevated spontaneous bursting properties. Differences in footshock-evoked LC firing depended on age, with 6-month TgF344-AD rats demonstrating aspects of hyperactivity, and 15-month transgenic rats showing hypoactivity. Early LC hyperactivity is consistent with appearance of prodromal neuropsychiatric symptoms and is followed by LC hypoactivity which contributes to cognitive impairment. These results support further investigation into disease stage-dependent noradrenergic interventions for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Alexia Marriott
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jay M Weiss
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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41
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Mahzarnia A, Stout JA, Anderson RJ, Moon HS, Yar Han Z, Beck K, Browndyke JN, Dunson DB, Johnson KG, O’Brien RJ, Badea A. Identifying vulnerable brain networks associated with Alzheimer's disease risk. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:5307-5322. [PMID: 36320163 PMCID: PMC10399292 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The selective vulnerability of brain networks in individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) may help differentiate pathological from normal aging at asymptomatic stages, allowing the implementation of more effective interventions. We used a sample of 72 people across the age span, enriched for the APOE4 genotype to reveal vulnerable networks associated with a composite AD risk factor including age, genotype, and sex. Sparse canonical correlation analysis (CCA) revealed a high weight associated with genotype, and subgraphs involving the cuneus, temporal, cingulate cortices, and cerebellum. Adding cognitive metrics to the risk factor revealed the highest cumulative degree of connectivity for the pericalcarine cortex, insula, banks of the superior sulcus, and the cerebellum. To enable scaling up our approach, we extended tensor network principal component analysis, introducing CCA components. We developed sparse regression predictive models with errors of 17% for genotype, 24% for family risk factor for AD, and 5 years for age. Age prediction in groups including cognitively impaired subjects revealed regions not found using only normal subjects, i.e. middle and transverse temporal, paracentral and superior banks of temporal sulcus, as well as the amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus. These modeling approaches represent stepping stones towards single subject prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Mahzarnia
- Radiology Department, Duke University Medical School, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
| | - Jacques A Stout
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical School, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
| | - Robert J Anderson
- Radiology Department, Duke University Medical School, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
| | - Hae Sol Moon
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
| | - Zay Yar Han
- Radiology Department, Duke University Medical School, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
| | - Kate Beck
- Neurology Department, Duke University Medical School, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
| | - Jeffrey N Browndyke
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department, Duke University Medical School, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
| | - David B Dunson
- Statistical Sciences, Trinity College, Duke University, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
| | - Kim G Johnson
- Neurology Department, Duke University Medical School, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
| | - Richard J O’Brien
- Neurology Department, Duke University Medical School, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
| | - Alexandra Badea
- Radiology Department, Duke University Medical School, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical School, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
- Neurology Department, Duke University Medical School, Durham, 27710 NC, USA
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Yi YJ, Lüsebrink F, Ludwig M, Maaß A, Ziegler G, Yakupov R, Kreißl MC, Betts M, Speck O, Düzel E, Hämmerer D. It is the locus coeruleus! Or… is it?: a proposition for analyses and reporting standards for structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging of the noradrenergic locus coeruleus. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 129:137-148. [PMID: 37329853 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) is one of the protein pathology epicenters in neurodegenerative diseases. In contrast to PET (positron emission tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) offers the spatial resolution necessary to investigate the 3-4 mm wide and 1.5 cm long LC. However, standard data postprocessing is often too spatially imprecise to allow investigating the structure and function of the LC at the group level. Our analysis pipeline uses a combination of existing toolboxes (SPM12, ANTs, FSL, FreeSurfer), and is tailored towards achieving suitable spatial precision in the brainstem area. Its effectiveness is demonstrated using 2 datasets comprising both younger and older adults. We also suggest quality assessment procedures which allow to quantify the spatial precision obtained. Spatial deviations below 2.5 mm in the LC area are achieved, which is superior to current standard approaches. Relevant for ageing and clinical researchers interested in brainstem imaging, we provide a tool for more reliable analyses of structural and functional LC imaging data which can be also adapted for investigating other nuclei of the brainstem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeo-Jin Yi
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Falk Lüsebrink
- Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Medicine and Digitalization, Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Mareike Ludwig
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anne Maaß
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Gabriel Ziegler
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Renat Yakupov
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Michael C Kreißl
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Matthew Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Speck
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Emrah Düzel
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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43
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The Relationships Among Metal Homeostasis, Mitochondria, and Locus Coeruleus in Psychiatric and Neurodegenerative Disorders: Potential Pathogenetic Mechanism and Therapeutic Implications. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2023; 43:963-989. [PMID: 35635600 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-022-01234-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
While alterations in the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system are present during early stages of neuropsychiatric disorders, it is unclear what causes these changes and how they contribute to other pathologies in these conditions. Data suggest that the onset of major depressive disorder and schizophrenia is associated with metal dyshomeostasis that causes glial cell mitochondrial dysfunction and hyperactivation in the locus coeruleus. The effect of the overactive locus coeruleus on the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, and prefrontal cortex can be responsible for some of the psychiatric symptoms. Although locus coeruleus overactivation may diminish over time, neuroinflammation-induced alterations are presumably ongoing due to continued metal dyshomeostasis and mitochondrial dysfunction. In early Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, metal dyshomeostasis and mitochondrial dysfunction likely induce locus coeruleus hyperactivation, pathological tau or α-synuclein formation, and neurodegeneration, while reduction of glymphatic and cerebrospinal fluid flow might be responsible for β-amyloid aggregation in the olfactory regions before the onset of dementia. It is possible that the overactive noradrenergic system stimulates the apoptosis signaling pathway and pathogenic protein formation, leading to further pathological changes which can occur in the presence or absence of locus coeruleus hypoactivation. Data are presented in this review indicating that although locus coeruleus hyperactivation is involved in pathological changes at prodromal and early stages of these neuropsychiatric disorders, metal dyshomeostasis and mitochondrial dysfunction are critical factors in maintaining ongoing neuropathology throughout the course of these conditions. The proposed mechanistic model includes multiple pharmacological sites that may be targeted for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders commonly.
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Satpati A, Neylan T, Grinberg LT. Histaminergic neurotransmission in aging and Alzheimer's disease: A review of therapeutic opportunities and gaps. ALZHEIMER'S & DEMENTIA (NEW YORK, N. Y.) 2023; 9:e12379. [PMID: 37123051 PMCID: PMC10130560 DOI: 10.1002/trc2.12379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorderfeaturing a brain accumulation of extracellular β-amyloidplaques (Aβ) and intracellular neurofibrillary tautangles (NFTs). Although cognitive decline is a disease-defining symptom of AD, sleep dysfunction, a common symptom often preceding cognitive decline, hasrecently gained more attention as a core AD symptom. Polysomnography and othersleep measures show sleep fragmentation with shortening of N3 sleep togetherwith excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and sundowning as the main findings in AD patients. The latter reflects dysfunction of the wake-promoting neurons (WPNs), including histaminergic neurons (HAN) located in thetuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) of the posterior hypothalamus, which projectunmyelinated axons to various parts of the brain. Histamine's role in cognitionand arousal is broadly recognized. Selective targeting of histaminergic subtype-3 and 4 receptors show therapeutic potential in rodent models of AD andaging. Method Based on PubMed, Scopus, and google scholar databases search, this review summarizes the current knowledge on the histaminergic system in AD and aging, its therapeutic potential in AD, and highlight areas where moreresearch is needed. Results Animal studies have demonstrated that pharmacological manipulation of histaminergic receptors or histamine supplementation improves cognition in AD models. However, measurements of HA or HA metabolite levels in the human brainand CSF present contradictory reports due to either lack of power or controls for known confounders. Discussion Systemic studies including broad age, sex, neuropathological diagnosis, and disease stage are warranted to fill the gap in our current understanding of the histaminergic neurotransmitter/neuromodulator system in humans, especially age-related changes, and therapeuticpotential of histamine in AD-related dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhijit Satpati
- Memory and Aging CenterDepartment of NeurologySandler Neurosciences CenterUniversity of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Thomas Neylan
- Memory and Aging CenterDepartment of NeurologySandler Neurosciences CenterUniversity of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Weill Institute of NeuroscienceUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Lea T. Grinberg
- Memory and Aging CenterDepartment of NeurologySandler Neurosciences CenterUniversity of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of PathologyUniversity of São Paulo Medical SchoolSão PauloBrazil
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Lancini E, Haag L, Bartl F, Rühling M, Ashton NJ, Zetterberg H, Düzel E, Hämmerer D, Betts MJ. Cerebrospinal fluid and positron-emission tomography biomarkers for noradrenergic dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad085. [PMID: 37151227 PMCID: PMC10154713 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The noradrenergic system shows pathological modifications in aging and neurodegenerative diseases and undergoes substantial neuronal loss in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. While a coherent picture of structural decline in post-mortem and in vivo MRI measures seems to emerge, whether this translates into a consistent decline in available noradrenaline levels is unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis of noradrenergic differences in Alzheimer's disease dementia and Parkinson's disease using CSF and PET biomarkers. CSF noradrenaline and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol levels as well as noradrenaline transporters availability, measured with PET, were summarized from 26 articles using a random-effects model meta-analysis. Compared to controls, individuals with Parkinson's disease showed significantly decreased levels of CSF noradrenaline and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, as well as noradrenaline transporters availability in the hypothalamus. In Alzheimer's disease dementia, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol but not noradrenaline levels were increased compared to controls. Both CSF and PET biomarkers of noradrenergic dysfunction reveal significant alterations in Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease dementia. However, further studies are required to understand how these biomarkers are associated to the clinical symptoms and pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Lancini
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Lena Haag
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Bartl
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Maren Rühling
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nicholas J Ashton
- Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Old Age Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health & Biomedical Research Unit for Dementia at South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation, London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience & Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China
| | - Emrah Düzel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Matthew J Betts
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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Chemli Y, Tétrault MA, Marin T, Normandin MD, Bloch I, El Fakhri G, Ouyang J, Petibon Y. Super-resolution in brain Positron Emission Tomography using a real-time motion capture system. Neuroimage 2023; 272:120056. [PMID: 36977452 PMCID: PMC10122782 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Super-resolution (SR) is a methodology that seeks to improve image resolution by exploiting the increased spatial sampling information obtained from multiple acquisitions of the same target with accurately known sub-resolution shifts. This work aims to develop and evaluate an SR estimation framework for brain positron emission tomography (PET), taking advantage of a high-resolution infra-red tracking camera to measure shifts precisely and continuously. Moving phantoms and non-human primate (NHP) experiments were performed on a GE Discovery MI PET/CT scanner (GE Healthcare) using an NDI Polaris Vega (Northern Digital Inc), an external optical motion tracking device. To enable SR, a robust temporal and spatial calibration of the two devices was developed as well as a list-mode Ordered Subset Expectation Maximization (OSEM) PET reconstruction algorithm, incorporating the high-resolution tracking data from the Polaris Vega to correct motion for measured line of responses (LORs) on an event-by-event basis. For both phantoms and NHP studies, the SR reconstruction method yielded PET images with visibly increased spatial resolution compared to standard static acquisitions, allowing improved visualization of small structures. Quantitative analysis in terms of SSIM, CNR and line profiles were conducted and validated our observations. The results demonstrate that SR can be achieved in brain PET by measuring target motion in real-time using a high-resolution infrared tracking camera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanis Chemli
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; LTCI, Télécom Paris, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France.
| | - Marc-André Tétrault
- Department of Computer Engineering, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
| | - Thibault Marin
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Marc D Normandin
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Isabelle Bloch
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, LIP6, Paris, France; LTCI, Télécom Paris, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France.
| | - Georges El Fakhri
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Jinsong Ouyang
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Yoann Petibon
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Brash DE, Goncalves LCP. Chemiexcitation: Mammalian Photochemistry in the Dark †. Photochem Photobiol 2023; 99:251-276. [PMID: 36681894 PMCID: PMC10065968 DOI: 10.1111/php.13781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Light is one way to excite an electron in biology. Another is chemiexcitation, birthing a reaction product in an electronically excited state rather than exciting from the ground state. Chemiexcited molecules, as in bioluminescence, can release more energy than ATP. Excited states also allow bond rearrangements forbidden in ground states. Molecules with low-lying unoccupied orbitals, abundant in biology, are particularly susceptible. In mammals, chemiexcitation was discovered to transfer energy from excited melanin, neurotransmitters, or hormones to DNA, creating the lethal and carcinogenic cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer. That process was initiated by nitric oxide and superoxide, radicals triggered by ultraviolet light or inflammation. Several poorly understood chronic diseases share two properties: inflammation generates those radicals across the tissue, and cells that die are those containing melanin or neuromelanin. Chemiexcitation may therefore be a pathogenic event in noise- and drug-induced deafness, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's; it may prevent macular degeneration early in life but turn pathogenic later. Beneficial evolutionary selection for excitable biomolecules may thus have conferred an Achilles heel. This review of recent findings on chemiexcitation in mammalian cells also describes the underlying physics, biochemistry, and potential pathogenesis, with the goal of making this interdisciplinary phenomenon accessible to researchers within each field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas E. Brash
- Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8040, USA
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8028, USA
| | - Leticia C. P. Goncalves
- Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8040, USA
- Institut de Chimie de Nice CNRS UMR7272, Université Côte d’Azur, 28 Avenue Valrose 06108 Nice, France
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Puglisi-Allegra S, Lazzeri G, Busceti CL, Giorgi FS, Biagioni F, Fornai F. Lithium engages autophagy for neuroprotection and neuroplasticity: translational evidence for therapy. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 148:105148. [PMID: 36996994 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Here an overview is provided on therapeutic/neuroprotective effects of Lithium (Li+) in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders focusing on the conspicuous action of Li+ through autophagy. The effects on the autophagy machinery remain the key molecular mechanisms to explain the protective effects of Li+ for neurodegenerative diseases, offering potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders and emphasizes a crossroad linking autophagy, neurodegenerative disorders, and mood stabilization. Sensitization by psychostimulants points to several mechanisms involved in psychopathology, most also crucial in neurodegenerative disorders. Evidence shows the involvement of autophagy and metabotropic Glutamate receptors-5 (mGluR5) in neurodegeneration due to methamphetamine neurotoxicity as well as in neuroprotection, both in vitro and in vivo models. More recently, Li+ was shown to modulate autophagy through its action on mGluR5, thus pointing to an additional way of autophagy engagement by Li+ and to a substantial role of mGluR5 in neuroprotection related to neural e neuropsychiatry diseases. We propose Li+ engagement of autophagy through the canonical mechanisms of autophagy machinery and through the intermediary of mGluR5.
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49
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Aghakhanyan G, Galgani A, Vergallo A, Lombardo F, Martini N, Baldacci F, Tognoni G, Leo A, Guidoccio F, Siciliano G, Fornai F, Pavese N, Volterrani D, Giorgi FS. Brain metabolic correlates of Locus Coeruleus degeneration in Alzheimer's disease: a multimodal neuroimaging study. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 122:12-21. [PMID: 36463849 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Locus Coeruleus (LC) degeneration occurs early in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and this could affect several brain regions innervated by LC noradrenergic axon terminals, as these bear neuroprotective effects and modulate neurovascular coupling/neuronal activity. We used LC-sensitive Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI) sequences enabling LC integrity quantification, and [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET, to investigate the association of LC-MRI changes with brain glucose metabolism in cognitively impaired patients (30 amnesticMCI and 13 demented ones). Fifteen cognitively intact age-matched controls (HCs) were submitted only to LC-MRI for comparison with patients. Voxel-wise regression analyses of [18F]FDG images were conducted using the LC-MRI parameters signal intensity (LCCR) and LC-belonging voxels (LCVOX). Both LCCR and LCVOX were significantly lower in patients compared to HCs, and were directly associated with [18F]FDG uptake in fronto-parietal cortical areas, mainly involving the left hemisphere (p < 0.001, kE > 100). These results suggest a possible association between LC degeneration and cortical hypometabolism in degenerative cognitive impairment with a prevalent left-hemispheric vulnerability, and that LC degeneration might be linked to large-scale functional network alteration in AD pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayane Aghakhanyan
- Nuclear Medicine Unit - Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Galgani
- Neurology Unit - Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Sorbonne University, Alzheimer Precision Medicine (APM), AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Andrea Vergallo
- Department of Radiology, Fondazione Monasterio/CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Filippo Baldacci
- Neurology Unit - Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gloria Tognoni
- Neurology Unit - Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Leo
- Nuclear Medicine Unit - Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Federica Guidoccio
- Nuclear Medicine Unit - Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gabriele Siciliano
- Nuclear Medicine Unit - Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesco Fornai
- Sorbonne University, Alzheimer Precision Medicine (APM), AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France; Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicola Pavese
- Clinical Aging Research Unit, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Institute of Clinical Medicine, PET Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Duccio Volterrani
- Nuclear Medicine Unit - Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo S Giorgi
- Sorbonne University, Alzheimer Precision Medicine (APM), AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France.
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50
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Eckert MA, Iuricich F, Harris KC, Hamlett ED, Vazey EM, Aston-Jones G. Locus coeruleus and dorsal cingulate morphology contributions to slowed processing speed. Neuropsychologia 2023; 179:108449. [PMID: 36528219 PMCID: PMC9906468 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Slowed information processing speed is a defining feature of cognitive aging. Nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) and medial prefrontal regions are targets for understanding slowed processing speed because these brain regions influence neural and behavioral response latencies through their roles in optimizing task performance. Although structural measures of medial prefrontal cortex have been consistently related to processing speed, it is unclear if 1) declines in LC structure underlie this association because of reciprocal connections between LC and medial prefrontal cortex, or 2) if LC declines provide a separate explanation for age-related changes in processing speed. LC and medial prefrontal structural measures were predicted to explain age-dependent individual differences in processing speed in a cross-sectional sample of 43 adults (19-79 years; 63% female). Higher turbo-spin echo LC contrast, based on a persistent homology measure, and greater dorsal cingulate cortical thickness were significantly and each uniquely related to faster processing speed. However, only dorsal cingulate cortical thickness appeared to statistically mediate age-related differences in processing speed. The results suggest that individual differences in cognitive processing speed can be attributed, in part, to structural variation in nucleus LC and medial prefrontal cortex, with the latter key to understanding why older adults exhibit slowed processing speed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Eckert
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 550, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA.
| | - Federico Iuricich
- Visual Computing Division, School of Computing, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., 29634, USA
| | - Kelly C Harris
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 550, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA
| | - Eric D Hamlett
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA
| | - Elena M Vazey
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003-9297, USA
| | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University/Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
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