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Hojjati SH, Butler TA, Luchsinger JA, Benitez R, de Leon M, Nayak S, Razlighi QR, Chiang GC. Increased between-network connectivity: A risk factor for tau elevation and disease progression. Neurosci Lett 2024; 840:137943. [PMID: 39153526 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2024.137943] [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: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
One of the pathologic hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is neurofibrillary tau tangles. Despite our knowledge that tau typically initiates in the medial temporal lobe (MTL), the mechanisms driving tau to spread beyond MTL remain unclear. Emerging evidence reveals distinct patterns of functional connectivity change during aging and preclinical AD: while connectivity within-network decreases, connectivity between-network increases. Building upon increased between-network connectivity, our study hypothesizes that this increase may play a critical role in facilitating tau spread in early stages. We conducted a longitudinal study over two to three years intervals on a cohort of 46 healthy elderly participants (mean age 64.23 ± 3.15 years, 26 females). Subjects were examined clinically and utilizing advanced imaging techniques that included resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI), structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and a second-generation positron emission tomography (PET) tau tracer, 18F-MK6240. Through unsupervised agglomerative clustering and increase in between-network connectivity, we successfully identified individuals at increased risk of future tau elevation and AD progression. Our analysis revealed that individuals with increased between-network connectivity are more likely to experience more future tau deposition, entorhinal cortex thinning, and lower selective reminding test (SRT) delayed scores. Additionally, in the limbic network, we found a strong association between tau progression and increased between-network connectivity, which was mainly driven by beta-amyloid (Aβ) positive participants. These findings provide evidence for the hypothesis that an increase in between-network connectivity predicts future tau deposition and AD progression, also enhancing our understanding of AD pathogenesis in the preclinical stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Hani Hojjati
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States.
| | - Tracy A Butler
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - José A Luchsinger
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Richard Benitez
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Mony de Leon
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Siddharth Nayak
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Qolamreza R Razlighi
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Gloria C Chiang
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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2
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Khan AF, Iturria-Medina Y. Beyond the usual suspects: multi-factorial computational models in the search for neurodegenerative disease mechanisms. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:386. [PMID: 39313512 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-03073-w] [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: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 08/20/2024] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
From Alzheimer's disease to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the molecular cascades underlying neurodegenerative disorders remain poorly understood. The clinical view of neurodegeneration is confounded by symptomatic heterogeneity and mixed pathology in almost every patient. While the underlying physiological alterations originate, proliferate, and propagate potentially decades before symptomatic onset, the complexity and inaccessibility of the living brain limit direct observation over a patient's lifespan. Consequently, there is a critical need for robust computational methods to support the search for causal mechanisms of neurodegeneration by distinguishing pathogenic processes from consequential alterations, and inter-individual variability from intra-individual progression. Recently, promising advances have been made by data-driven spatiotemporal modeling of the brain, based on in vivo neuroimaging and biospecimen markers. These methods include disease progression models comparing the temporal evolution of various biomarkers, causal models linking interacting biological processes, network propagation models reproducing the spatial spreading of pathology, and biophysical models spanning cellular- to network-scale phenomena. In this review, we discuss various computational approaches for integrating cross-sectional, longitudinal, and multi-modal data, primarily from large observational neuroimaging studies, to understand (i) the temporal ordering of physiological alterations, i(i) their spatial relationships to the brain's molecular and cellular architecture, (iii) mechanistic interactions between biological processes, and (iv) the macroscopic effects of microscopic factors. We consider the extents to which computational models can evaluate mechanistic hypotheses, explore applications such as improving treatment selection, and discuss how model-informed insights can lay the groundwork for a pathobiological redefinition of neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Faraz Khan
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Canada
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics & Mental Health, Montreal, Canada
| | - Yasser Iturria-Medina
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Canada.
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics & Mental Health, Montreal, Canada.
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3
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Meindl M, Zatcepin A, Gnörich J, Scheifele M, Zaganjori M, Groß M, Lindner S, Schaefer R, Simmet M, Roemer S, Katzdobler S, Levin J, Höglinger G, Bischof AC, Barthel H, Sabri O, Bartenstein P, Saller T, Franzmeier N, Ziegler S, Brendel M. Assessment of [ 18F]PI-2620 Tau-PET Quantification via Non-Invasive Automatized Image Derived Input Function. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2024; 51:3252-3266. [PMID: 38717592 PMCID: PMC11368995 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-024-06741-7] [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: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/03/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE [18F]PI-2620 positron emission tomography (PET) detects misfolded tau in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We questioned the feasibility and value of absolute [18F]PI-2620 PET quantification for assessing tau by regional distribution volumes (VT). Here, arterial input functions (AIF) represent the gold standard, but cannot be applied in routine clinical practice, whereas image-derived input functions (IDIF) represent a non-invasive alternative. We aimed to validate IDIF against AIF and we evaluated the potential to discriminate patients with PSP and AD from healthy controls by non-invasive quantification of [18F] PET. METHODS In the first part of the study, we validated AIF derived from radial artery whole blood against IDIF by investigating 20 subjects (ten controls and ten patients). IDIF were generated by manual extraction of the carotid artery using the average and the five highest (max5) voxel intensity values and by automated extraction of the carotid artery using the average and the maximum voxel intensity value. In the second part of the study, IDIF quantification using the IDIF with the closest match to the AIF was transferred to group comparison of a large independent cohort of 40 subjects (15 healthy controls, 15 PSP patients and 10 AD patients). We compared VT and VT ratios, both calculated by Logan plots, with distribution volume (DV) ratios using simplified reference tissue modelling and standardized uptake value (SUV) ratios. RESULTS AIF and IDIF showed highly correlated input curves for all applied IDIF extraction methods (0.78 < r < 0.83, all p < 0.0001; area under the curves (AUC): 0.73 < r ≤ 0.82, all p ≤ 0.0003). Regarding the VT values, correlations were mainly found between those generated by the AIF and by the IDIF methods using the maximum voxel intensity values. Lowest relative differences (RD) were observed by applying the manual method using the five highest voxel intensity values (max5) (AIF vs. IDIF manual, avg: RD = -82%; AIF vs. IDIF automated, avg: RD = -86%; AIF vs. IDIF manual, max5: RD = -6%; AIF vs. IDIF automated, max: RD = -26%). Regional VT values revealed considerable variance at group level, which was strongly reduced upon scaling by the inferior cerebellum. The resulting VT ratio values were adequate to detect group differences between patients with PSP or AD and healthy controls (HC) (PSP target region (globus pallidus): HC vs. PSP vs. AD: 1.18 vs. 1.32 vs. 1.16; AD target region (Braak region I): HC vs. PSP vs. AD: 1.00 vs. 1.00 vs. 1.22). VT ratios and DV ratios outperformed SUV ratios and VT in detecting differences between PSP and healthy controls, whereas all quantification approaches performed similarly in comparing AD and healthy controls. CONCLUSION Blood-free IDIF is a promising approach for quantification of [18F]PI-2620 PET, serving as correlating surrogate for invasive continuous arterial blood sampling. Regional [18F]PI-2620 VT show large variance, in contrast to regional [18F]PI-2620 VT ratios scaled with the inferior cerebellum, which are appropriate for discriminating PSP, AD and healthy controls. DV ratios obtained by simplified reference tissue modeling are similarly suitable for this purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Meindl
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
| | - Artem Zatcepin
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Gnörich
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Maximilian Scheifele
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mirlind Zaganjori
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mattes Groß
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), Munich, Germany
| | - Simon Lindner
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Rebecca Schaefer
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Marcel Simmet
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Roemer
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sabrina Katzdobler
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Levin
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Günter Höglinger
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ann-Cathrin Bischof
- Department of Anesthesiology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Henryk Barthel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Osama Sabri
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter Bartenstein
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Saller
- Department of Anesthesiology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Sibylle Ziegler
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Brendel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
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Catterson JH, Mouofo EN, López De Toledo Soler I, Lean G, Dlamini S, Liddell P, Voong G, Katsinelos T, Wang YC, Schoovaerts N, Verstreken P, Spires-Jones TL, Durrant CS. Drosophila appear resistant to trans-synaptic tau propagation. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae256. [PMID: 39130515 PMCID: PMC11316205 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae256] [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: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, prompting extensive efforts to pinpoint novel therapeutic targets for effective intervention. Among the hallmark features of Alzheimer's disease is the development of neurofibrillary tangles comprised of hyperphosphorylated tau protein, whose progressive spread throughout the brain is associated with neuronal death. Trans-synaptic propagation of tau has been observed in mouse models, and indirect evidence for tau spread via synapses has been observed in human Alzheimer's disease. Halting tau propagation is a promising therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease; thus, a scalable model system to screen for modifiers of tau spread would be very useful for the field. To this end, we sought to emulate the trans-synaptic spread of human tau in Drosophila melanogaster. Employing the trans-Tango circuit mapping technique, we investigated whether tau spreads between synaptically connected neurons. Immunohistochemistry and confocal imaging were used to look for tau propagation. Examination of hundreds of flies expressing four different human tau constructs in two distinct neuronal populations reveals a robust resistance in Drosophila to the trans-synaptic spread of human tau. This resistance persisted in lines with concurrent expression of amyloid-β, in lines with global human tau knock-in to provide a template for human tau in downstream neurons, and with manipulations of temperature. These negative data are important for the field as we establish that Drosophila expressing human tau in subsets of neurons are unlikely to be useful to perform screens to find mechanisms to reduce the trans-synaptic spread of tau. The inherent resistance observed in Drosophila may serve as a valuable clue, offering insights into strategies for impeding tau spread in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- James H Catterson
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Edmond N Mouofo
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | | | - Gillian Lean
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Stella Dlamini
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Phoebe Liddell
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Graham Voong
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Taxiarchis Katsinelos
- Schaller Research Group at the University of Heidelberg and the DKFZ, German Cancer Research Center, Proteostasis in Neurodegenerative Disease (B180), INF 581, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, INF 234, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yu-Chun Wang
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Department of Neurosciences, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nils Schoovaerts
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Department of Neurosciences, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Patrik Verstreken
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Department of Neurosciences, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tara L Spires-Jones
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Claire S Durrant
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
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5
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Malpetti M, Roemer SN, Harris S, Gross M, Gnörich J, Stephens A, Dewenter A, Steward A, Biel D, Dehsarvi A, Wagner F, Müller A, Koglin N, Weidinger E, Palleis C, Katzdobler S, Rupprecht R, Perneczky R, Rauchmann BS, Levin J, Höglinger GU, Brendel M, Franzmeier N. Neuroinflammation Parallels 18F-PI-2620 Positron Emission Tomography Patterns in Primary 4-Repeat Tauopathies. Mov Disord 2024. [PMID: 39022835 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29924] [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: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preclinical, postmortem, and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies have pointed to neuroinflammation as a key pathophysiological hallmark in primary 4-repeat (4R) tauopathies and its role in accelerating disease progression. OBJECTIVE We tested whether microglial activation (1) progresses in similar spatial patterns as the primary pathology tau spreads across interconnected brain regions, and (2) whether the degree of microglial activation parallels tau pathology spreading. METHODS We examined in vivo associations between tau aggregation and microglial activation in 31 patients with clinically diagnosed 4R tauopathies, using 18F-PI-2620 PET and 18F-GE180 (translocator protein [TSPO]) PET. We determined tau epicenters, defined as subcortical brain regions with highest tau PET signal, and assessed the connectivity of tau epicenters to cortical regions of interest using a 3-T resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging template derived from age-matched healthy elderly controls. RESULTS In 4R tauopathy patients, we found that higher regional tau PET covaries with elevated TSPO-PET across brain regions that are functionally connected to each other (β = 0.414, P < 0.001). Microglial activation follows similar distribution patterns as tau and distributes primarily across brain regions strongly connected to patient-specific tau epicenters (β = -0.594, P < 0.001). In these regions, microglial activation spatially parallels tau distribution detectable with 18F-PI-2620 PET. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that the spatial expansion of microglial activation parallels tau distribution across brain regions that are functionally connected to each other, suggesting that tau and inflammation are closely interrelated in patients with 4R tauopathies. The combination of in vivo tau and inflammatory biomarkers could therefore support the development of immunomodulatory strategies for disease-modifying treatments in these conditions. © 2024 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maura Malpetti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sebastian N Roemer
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefanie Harris
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mattes Gross
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Gnörich
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Anna Dewenter
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Steward
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Davina Biel
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Amir Dehsarvi
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Fabian Wagner
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Endy Weidinger
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Carla Palleis
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sabrina Katzdobler
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Rainer Rupprecht
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Robert Perneczky
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Aging Epidemiology Research Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Boris-Stephan Rauchmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neuroradiology, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Levin
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Günter U Höglinger
- Department of Neurology, LMU Hospital, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Brendel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Nicolai Franzmeier
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, Sweden
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6
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Roemer SN, Brendel M, Gnörich J, Malpetti M, Zaganjori M, Quattrone A, Gross M, Steward A, Dewenter A, Wagner F, Dehsarvi A, Ferschmann C, Wall S, Palleis C, Rauchmann BS, Katzdobler S, Jäck A, Stockbauer A, Fietzek UM, Bernhardt AM, Weidinger E, Zwergal A, Stöcklein S, Perneczky R, Barthel H, Sabri O, Levin J, Höglinger GU, Franzmeier N. Subcortical tau is linked to hypoperfusion in connected cortical regions in 4-repeat tauopathies. Brain 2024; 147:2428-2439. [PMID: 38842726 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae174] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Four-repeat (4R) tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by cerebral accumulation of 4R tau pathology. The most prominent 4R tauopathies are progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration characterized by subcortical tau accumulation and cortical neuronal dysfunction, as shown by PET-assessed hypoperfusion and glucose hypometabolism. Yet, there is a spatial mismatch between subcortical tau deposition patterns and cortical neuronal dysfunction, and it is unclear how these two pathological brain changes are interrelated. Here, we hypothesized that subcortical tau pathology induces remote neuronal dysfunction in functionally connected cortical regions to test a pathophysiological model that mechanistically links subcortical tau accumulation to cortical neuronal dysfunction in 4R tauopathies. We included 51 Aβ-negative patients with clinically diagnosed PSP variants (n = 26) or corticobasal syndrome (n = 25) who underwent structural MRI and 18F-PI-2620 tau-PET. 18F-PI-2620 tau-PET was recorded using a dynamic one-stop-shop acquisition protocol to determine an early 0.5-2.5 min post tracer-injection perfusion window for assessing cortical neuronal dysfunction, as well as a 20-40 min post tracer-injection window to determine 4R-tau load. Perfusion-PET (i.e. early window) was assessed in 200 cortical regions, and tau-PET was assessed in 32 subcortical regions of established functional brain atlases. We determined tau epicentres as subcortical regions with the highest 18F-PI-2620 tau-PET signal and assessed the connectivity of tau epicentres to cortical regions of interest using a resting-state functional MRI-based functional connectivity template derived from 69 healthy elderly controls from the ADNI cohort. Using linear regression, we assessed whether: (i) higher subcortical tau-PET was associated with reduced cortical perfusion; and (ii) cortical perfusion reductions were observed preferentially in regions closely connected to subcortical tau epicentres. As hypothesized, higher subcortical tau-PET was associated with overall lower cortical perfusion, which remained consistent when controlling for cortical tau-PET. Using group-average and subject-level PET data, we found that the seed-based connectivity pattern of subcortical tau epicentres aligned with cortical perfusion patterns, where cortical regions that were more closely connected to the tau epicentre showed lower perfusion. Together, subcortical tau-accumulation is associated with remote perfusion reductions indicative of neuronal dysfunction in functionally connected cortical regions in 4R-tauopathies. This suggests that subcortical tau pathology may induce cortical dysfunction, which may contribute to clinical disease manifestation and clinical heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian N Roemer
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Brendel
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 81377 Munich, Germany
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Gnörich
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Maura Malpetti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, UK
| | - Mirlind Zaganjori
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Andrea Quattrone
- Institute of Neurology, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Mattes Gross
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Steward
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Dewenter
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Fabian Wagner
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Amir Dehsarvi
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Ferschmann
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Stephan Wall
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Carla Palleis
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 81377 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Boris S Rauchmann
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Sabrina Katzdobler
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander Jäck
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Stockbauer
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Urban M Fietzek
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander M Bernhardt
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Endy Weidinger
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Zwergal
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (DSGZ), University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Sophia Stöcklein
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Robert Perneczky
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 81377 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 81377 Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Ageing Epidemiology (AGE) Research Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BX, UK
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2HQ, UK
| | - Henryk Barthel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Osama Sabri
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Johannes Levin
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 81377 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Günter U Höglinger
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Nicolai Franzmeier
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 81377 Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, SE 413 90 Mölndal and Gothenburg, Sweden
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7
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Ottoy J, Kang MS, Tan JXM, Boone L, Vos de Wael R, Park BY, Bezgin G, Lussier FZ, Pascoal TA, Rahmouni N, Stevenson J, Fernandez Arias J, Therriault J, Hong SJ, Stefanovic B, McLaurin J, Soucy JP, Gauthier S, Bernhardt BC, Black SE, Rosa-Neto P, Goubran M. Tau follows principal axes of functional and structural brain organization in Alzheimer's disease. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5031. [PMID: 38866759 PMCID: PMC11169286 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49300-2] [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: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a brain network disorder where pathological proteins accumulate through networks and drive cognitive decline. Yet, the role of network connectivity in facilitating this accumulation remains unclear. Using in-vivo multimodal imaging, we show that the distribution of tau and reactive microglia in humans follows spatial patterns of connectivity variation, the so-called gradients of brain organization. Notably, less distinct connectivity patterns ("gradient contraction") are associated with cognitive decline in regions with greater tau, suggesting an interaction between reduced network differentiation and tau on cognition. Furthermore, by modeling tau in subject-specific gradient space, we demonstrate that tau accumulation in the frontoparietal and temporo-occipital cortices is associated with greater baseline tau within their functionally and structurally connected hubs, respectively. Our work unveils a role for both functional and structural brain organization in pathology accumulation in AD, and supports subject-specific gradient space as a promising tool to map disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Ottoy
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Min Su Kang
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Lyndon Boone
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Reinder Vos de Wael
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Bo-Yong Park
- Department of Data Science, Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Gleb Bezgin
- Translational Neuroimaging laboratory, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Neuroinformatics for Personalized Medicine lab, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Firoza Z Lussier
- Translational Neuroimaging laboratory, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Tharick A Pascoal
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Nesrine Rahmouni
- Translational Neuroimaging laboratory, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jenna Stevenson
- Translational Neuroimaging laboratory, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jaime Fernandez Arias
- Translational Neuroimaging laboratory, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Joseph Therriault
- Translational Neuroimaging laboratory, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Seok-Jun Hong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Bojana Stefanovic
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Physical Sciences Platform, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - JoAnne McLaurin
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Biological Sciences Platform, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jean-Paul Soucy
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Serge Gauthier
- Translational Neuroimaging laboratory, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Boris C Bernhardt
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sandra E Black
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine (Division of Neurology), University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Pedro Rosa-Neto
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Translational Neuroimaging laboratory, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Maged Goubran
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Physical Sciences Platform, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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8
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Ferschmann C, Messerschmidt K, Gnörich J, Barthel H, Marek K, Palleis C, Katzdobler S, Stockbauer A, Fietzek U, Finze A, Biechele G, Rumpf JJ, Saur D, Schroeter ML, Rullmann M, Beyer L, Eckenweber F, Wall S, Schildan A, Patt M, Stephens A, Classen J, Bartenstein P, Seibyl J, Franzmeier N, Levin J, Höglinger GU, Sabri O, Brendel M, Scheifele M. Tau accumulation is associated with dopamine deficiency in vivo in four-repeat tauopathies. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2024; 51:1909-1922. [PMID: 38366196 PMCID: PMC11139736 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-024-06637-6] [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: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE We hypothesized that severe tau burden in brain regions involved in direct or indirect pathways of the basal ganglia correlate with more severe striatal dopamine deficiency in four-repeat (4R) tauopathies. Therefore, we correlated [18F]PI-2620 tau-positron-emission-tomography (PET) imaging with [123I]-Ioflupane single-photon-emission-computed tomography (SPECT) for dopamine transporter (DaT) availability. METHODS Thirty-eight patients with clinically diagnosed 4R-tauopathies (21 male; 69.0 ± 8.5 years) and 15 patients with clinically diagnosed α-synucleinopathies (8 male; 66.1 ± 10.3 years) who underwent [18F]PI-2620 tau-PET and DaT-SPECT imaging with a time gap of 3 ± 5 months were evaluated. Regional Tau-PET signals and DaT availability as well as their principal components were correlated in patients with 4R-tauopathies and α-synucleinopathies. Both biomarkers and the residuals of their association were correlated with clinical severity scores in 4R-tauopathies. RESULTS In patients with 4R-tauopathies, [18F]PI-2620 binding in basal ganglia and midbrain regions was negatively associated with striatal DaT availability (i.e. globus pallidus internus and putamen (β = - 0.464, p = 0.006, Durbin-Watson statistics = 1.824) in a multiple regression model. Contrarily, [18F]PI-2620 binding in the dentate nucleus showed no significant regression factor with DaT availability in the striatum (β = 0.078, p = 0.662, Durbin-Watson statistics = 1.686). Patients with α-synucleinopathies did not indicate any regional associations between [18F]PI-2620-binding and DaT availability. Higher DaT-SPECT binding relative to tau burden was associated with better clinical performance (β = - 0.522, p = 0.011, Durbin-Watson statistics = 2.663) in patients with 4R-tauopathies. CONCLUSION Tau burden in brain regions involved in dopaminergic pathways is associated with aggravated dopaminergic dysfunction in patients with clinically diagnosed primary tauopathies. The ability to sustain dopamine transmission despite tau accumulation may preserve motor function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Ferschmann
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Johannes Gnörich
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Henryk Barthel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ken Marek
- InviCRO, LLC, Boston, MA, USA
- Molecular Neuroimaging, A Division of inviCRO, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Carla Palleis
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sabrina Katzdobler
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Stockbauer
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Urban Fietzek
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anika Finze
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Gloria Biechele
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Radiology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jost-Julian Rumpf
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dorothee Saur
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias L Schroeter
- Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- LIFE - Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Rullmann
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Leonie Beyer
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Florian Eckenweber
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stephan Wall
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Schildan
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Marianne Patt
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Joseph Classen
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter Bartenstein
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - John Seibyl
- InviCRO, LLC, Boston, MA, USA
- Molecular Neuroimaging, A Division of inviCRO, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nicolai Franzmeier
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Levin
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Günter U Höglinger
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Osama Sabri
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Brendel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
| | - Maximilian Scheifele
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
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9
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Parra Bravo C, Giani AM, Madero-Perez J, Zhao Z, Wan Y, Samelson AJ, Wong MY, Evangelisti A, Cordes E, Fan L, Ye P, Zhu D, Pozner T, Mercedes M, Patel T, Yarahmady A, Carling GK, Sterky FH, Lee VMY, Lee EB, DeTure M, Dickson DW, Sharma M, Mok SA, Luo W, Zhao M, Kampmann M, Gong S, Gan L. Human iPSC 4R tauopathy model uncovers modifiers of tau propagation. Cell 2024; 187:2446-2464.e22. [PMID: 38582079 PMCID: PMC11365117 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.015] [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: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Tauopathies are age-associated neurodegenerative diseases whose mechanistic underpinnings remain elusive, partially due to a lack of appropriate human models. Here, we engineered human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neuronal lines to express 4R Tau and 4R Tau carrying the P301S MAPT mutation when differentiated into neurons. 4R-P301S neurons display progressive Tau inclusions upon seeding with Tau fibrils and recapitulate features of tauopathy phenotypes including shared transcriptomic signatures, autophagic body accumulation, and reduced neuronal activity. A CRISPRi screen of genes associated with Tau pathobiology identified over 500 genetic modifiers of seeding-induced Tau propagation, including retromer VPS29 and genes in the UFMylation cascade. In progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) brains, the UFMylation cascade is altered in neurofibrillary-tangle-bearing neurons. Inhibiting the UFMylation cascade in vitro and in vivo suppressed seeding-induced Tau propagation. This model provides a robust platform to identify novel therapeutic strategies for 4R tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celeste Parra Bravo
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Alice Maria Giani
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Jesus Madero-Perez
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Zeping Zhao
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Yuansong Wan
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Avi J Samelson
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Man Ying Wong
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Alessandro Evangelisti
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Ethan Cordes
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Li Fan
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Pearly Ye
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Daphne Zhu
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Tatyana Pozner
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Maria Mercedes
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Tark Patel
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Allan Yarahmady
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Gillian K Carling
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Fredrik H Sterky
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Gothenburg, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Clinical Chemistry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Virginia M Y Lee
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Edward B Lee
- Institute of Aging, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael DeTure
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Dennis W Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Manu Sharma
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Sue-Ann Mok
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Wenjie Luo
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Mingrui Zhao
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Martin Kampmann
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Shiaoching Gong
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.
| | - Li Gan
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.
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10
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Doering S, McCullough A, Gordon BA, Chen CD, McKay N, Hobbs D, Keefe S, Flores S, Scott J, Smith H, Jarman S, Jackson K, Hornbeck RC, Ances BM, Xiong C, Aschenbrenner AJ, Hassenstab J, Cruchaga C, Daniels A, Bateman RJ, Morris JC, Benzinger TLS. Deconstructing pathological tau by biological process in early stages of Alzheimer disease: a method for quantifying tau spatial spread in neuroimaging. EBioMedicine 2024; 103:105080. [PMID: 38552342 PMCID: PMC10995809 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroimaging studies often quantify tau burden in standardized brain regions to assess Alzheimer disease (AD) progression. However, this method ignores another key biological process in which tau spreads to additional brain regions. We have developed a metric for calculating the extent tau pathology has spread throughout the brain and evaluate the relationship between this metric and tau burden across early stages of AD. METHODS 445 cross-sectional participants (aged ≥ 50) who had MRI, amyloid PET, tau PET, and clinical testing were separated into disease-stage groups based on amyloid positivity and cognitive status (older cognitively normal control, preclinical AD, and symptomatic AD). Tau burden and tau spatial spread were calculated for all participants. FINDINGS We found both tau metrics significantly elevated across increasing disease stages (p < 0.0001) and as a function of increasing amyloid burden for participants with preclinical (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0056) and symptomatic (p = 0.010, p = 0.0021) AD. An interaction was found between tau burden and tau spatial spread when predicting amyloid burden (p = 0.00013). Analyses of slope between tau metrics demonstrated more spread than burden in preclinical AD (β = 0.59), but then tau burden elevated relative to spread (β = 0.42) once participants had symptomatic AD, when the tau metrics became highly correlated (R = 0.83). INTERPRETATION Tau burden and tau spatial spread are both strong biomarkers for early AD but provide unique information, particularly at the preclinical stage. Tau spatial spread may demonstrate earlier changes than tau burden which could have broad impact in clinical trial design. FUNDING This research was supported by the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (Knight ADRC, NIH grants P30AG066444, P01AG026276, P01AG003991), Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN, NIH grants U01AG042791, U19AG03243808, R01AG052550-01A1, R01AG05255003), and the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation Willman Scholar Fund.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Doering
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Austin McCullough
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Brian A Gordon
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Charles D Chen
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nicole McKay
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Diana Hobbs
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sarah Keefe
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Shaney Flores
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jalen Scott
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Hunter Smith
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stephen Jarman
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kelley Jackson
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Russ C Hornbeck
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Beau M Ances
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Chengjie Xiong
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Jason Hassenstab
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Carlos Cruchaga
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Alisha Daniels
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Randall J Bateman
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - John C Morris
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
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11
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Wang M, Lu J, Zhang Y, Zhang Q, Wang L, Wu P, Brendel M, Rominger A, Shi K, Zhao Q, Jiang J, Zuo C. Characterization of tau propagation pattern and cascading hypometabolism from functional connectivity in Alzheimer's disease. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26689. [PMID: 38703095 PMCID: PMC11069321 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26689] [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: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Tau pathology and its spatial propagation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) play crucial roles in the neurodegenerative cascade leading to dementia. However, the underlying mechanisms linking tau spreading to glucose metabolism remain elusive. To address this, we aimed to examine the association between pathologic tau aggregation, functional connectivity, and cascading glucose metabolism and further explore the underlying interplay mechanisms. In this prospective cohort study, we enrolled 79 participants with 18F-Florzolotau positron emission tomography (PET), 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET, resting-state functional, and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images in the hospital-based Shanghai Memory Study. We employed generalized linear regression and correlation analyses to assess the associations between Florzolotau accumulation, functional connectivity, and glucose metabolism in whole-brain and network-specific manners. Causal mediation analysis was used to evaluate whether functional connectivity mediates the association between pathologic tau and cascading glucose metabolism. We examined 22 normal controls and 57 patients with AD. In the AD group, functional connectivity was associated with Florzolotau covariance (β = .837, r = 0.472, p < .001) and glucose covariance (β = 1.01, r = 0.499, p < .001). Brain regions with higher tau accumulation tend to be connected to other regions with high tau accumulation through functional connectivity or metabolic connectivity. Mediation analyses further suggest that functional connectivity partially modulates the influence of tau accumulation on downstream glucose metabolism (mediation proportion: 49.9%). Pathologic tau may affect functionally connected neurons directly, triggering downstream glucose metabolism changes. This study sheds light on the intricate relationship between tau pathology, functional connectivity, and downstream glucose metabolism, providing critical insights into AD pathophysiology and potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Wang
- School of Life SciencesShanghai UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Jiaying Lu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Ying Zhang
- School of Life SciencesShanghai UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Qi Zhang
- School of Life SciencesShanghai UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Luyao Wang
- School of Life SciencesShanghai UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Ping Wu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | | | - Axel Rominger
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, InselspitalBern University Hospital, University of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Kuangyu Shi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, InselspitalBern University Hospital, University of BernBernSwitzerland
- Computer Aided Medical Procedures, School of Computation, Information and TechnologyTechnical University of MunichMunichGermany
| | - Qianhua Zhao
- National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- Department of Neurology, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Jiehui Jiang
- School of Life SciencesShanghai UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Chuantao Zuo
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- Human Phenome InstituteFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
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12
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Basheer N, Buee L, Brion JP, Smolek T, Muhammadi MK, Hritz J, Hromadka T, Dewachter I, Wegmann S, Landrieu I, Novak P, Mudher A, Zilka N. Shaping the future of preclinical development of successful disease-modifying drugs against Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review of tau propagation models. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2024; 12:52. [PMID: 38576010 PMCID: PMC10993623 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-024-01748-5] [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: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The transcellular propagation of the aberrantly modified protein tau along the functional brain network is a key hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies. Inoculation-based tau propagation models can recapitulate the stereotypical spread of tau and reproduce various types of tau inclusions linked to specific tauopathy, albeit with varying degrees of fidelity. With this systematic review, we underscore the significance of judicious selection and meticulous functional, biochemical, and biophysical characterization of various tau inocula. Furthermore, we highlight the necessity of choosing suitable animal models and inoculation sites, along with the critical need for validation of fibrillary pathology using confirmatory staining, to accurately recapitulate disease-specific inclusions. As a practical guide, we put forth a framework for establishing a benchmark of inoculation-based tau propagation models that holds promise for use in preclinical testing of disease-modifying drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Basheer
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Luc Buee
- Inserm, CHU Lille, CNRS, LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, University of Lille, 59000, Lille, France.
| | - Jean-Pierre Brion
- Faculty of Medicine, Laboratory of Histology, Alzheimer and Other Tauopathies Research Group (CP 620), ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, Route de Lennik, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tomas Smolek
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Muhammad Khalid Muhammadi
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Hritz
- CEITEC Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Hromadka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ilse Dewachter
- Biomedical Research Institute, BIOMED, Hasselt University, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Susanne Wegmann
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabelle Landrieu
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, 59000, Lille, France
- Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, University of Lille, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Petr Novak
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Amritpal Mudher
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Norbert Zilka
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia.
- AXON Neuroscience R&D Services SE, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 10, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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13
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Abuwarda H, Trainer A, Horien C, Shen X, Ju S, Constable RT, Fredericks C. Whole-brain functional connectivity predicts groupwise and sex-specific tau PET in preclincal Alzheimer's disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.02.587791. [PMID: 38617320 PMCID: PMC11014551 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.02.587791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Preclinical Alzheimer's disease, characterized by the initial accumulation of amyloid and tau pathologies without symptoms, presents a critical opportunity for early intervention. Yet, the interplay between these pathological markers and the functional connectome during this window remains understudied. We therefore set out to elucidate the relationship between the functional connectome and amyloid and tau, as assessed by PET imaging, in individuals with preclinical AD using connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM). We found that functional connectivity predicts tau PET, outperforming amyloid PET models. These models were predominantly governed by linear relationships between functional connectivity and tau. Tau models demonstrated a stronger correlation to global connectivity than underlying tau PET. Furthermore, we identify sex-based differences in the ability to predict regional tau, without any underlying differences in tau PET or global connectivity. Taken together, these results suggest tau is more closely coupled to functional connectivity than amyloid in preclinical disease, and that multimodal predictive modeling approaches stand to identify unique relationships that any one modality may be insufficient to discern.
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14
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Lozupone M, Dibello V, Daniele A, Solfrizzi V, Resta E, Panza F. How can we manage progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome with pharmacotherapy? Expert Opin Pharmacother 2024; 25:571-584. [PMID: 38653731 DOI: 10.1080/14656566.2024.2345734] [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: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Tauopathies are a spectrum of clinicopathological neurodegenerative disorders with increased aggregates included in glia and/or neurons of hyperphosphorylated insoluble tau protein, a microtubule-associated protein. Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is an atypical dopaminergic-resistant parkinsonian syndrome, considered as a primary tauopathy with possible alteration of tau isoform ratio, and tau accumulations characterized by 4 R tau species as the main neuropathological lesions. AREAS COVERED In the present review article, we analyzed and discussed viable disease-modifying and some symptomatic pharmacological therapeutics for PSP syndrome (PSPS). EXPERT OPINION Pharmacological therapy for PSPS may interfere with the aggregation process or promote the clearance of abnormal tau aggregates. A variety of past and ongoing disease-modifying therapies targeting tau in PSPS included genetic, microtubule-stabilizing compounds, anti-phosphorylation, and acetylation agents, antiaggregant, protein removal, antioxidant neuronal and synaptic growth promotion therapies. New pharmacological gene-based approaches may open alternative prevention pathways for the deposition of abnormal tau in PSPS such as antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-based drugs. Moreover, kinases and ubiquitin-proteasome systems could also be viable targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madia Lozupone
- Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience "DiBraiN", University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Vittorio Dibello
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, "Cesare Frugoni" Internal and Geriatric Medicine and Memory Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- Department of Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Antonio Daniele
- Department of Neuroscience, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Solfrizzi
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, "Cesare Frugoni" Internal and Geriatric Medicine and Memory Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Emanuela Resta
- Translational Medicine and Health System Management, Department of Economy, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Francesco Panza
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, "Cesare Frugoni" Internal and Geriatric Medicine and Memory Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
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15
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Cabrera-Álvarez J, Stefanovski L, Martin L, Susi G, Maestú F, Ritter P. A Multiscale Closed-Loop Neurotoxicity Model of Alzheimer's Disease Progression Explains Functional Connectivity Alterations. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0345-23.2023. [PMID: 38565295 PMCID: PMC11026343 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0345-23.2023] [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: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated-tau (hp-tau) are two classical histopathological biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, their detailed interactions with the electrophysiological changes at the meso- and macroscale are not yet fully understood. We developed a mechanistic multiscale model of AD progression, linking proteinopathy to its effects on neural activity and vice-versa. We integrated a heterodimer model of prion-like protein propagation and a brain network model of Jansen-Rit neural masses derived from human neuroimaging data whose parameters varied due to neurotoxicity. Results showed that changes in inhibition guided the electrophysiological alterations found in AD, and these changes were mainly attributed to Aβ effects. Additionally, we found a causal disconnection between cellular hyperactivity and interregional hypersynchrony contrary to previous beliefs. Finally, we demonstrated that early Aβ and hp-tau depositions' location determine the spatiotemporal profile of the proteinopathy. The presented model combines the molecular effects of both Aβ and hp-tau together with a mechanistic protein propagation model and network effects within a closed-loop model. This holds the potential to enlighten the interplay between AD mechanisms on various scales, aiming to develop and test novel hypotheses on the contribution of different AD-related variables to the disease evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Cabrera-Álvarez
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcón 28223, Spain
- Centre for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Leon Stefanovski
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Brain Simulation Section, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Leon Martin
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Brain Simulation Section, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Gianluca Susi
- Centre for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
- Department of Structure of Matter, Thermal Physics and Electronics, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Fernando Maestú
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcón 28223, Spain
- Centre for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Petra Ritter
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Brain Simulation Section, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Berlin 10115, Germany
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16
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Mortelecque J, Zejneli O, Bégard S, Simões MC, ElHajjar L, Nguyen M, Cantrelle FX, Hanoulle X, Rain JC, Colin M, Gomes CM, Buée L, Landrieu I, Danis C, Dupré E. A selection and optimization strategy for single-domain antibodies targeting the PHF6 linear peptide within the tau intrinsically disordered protein. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107163. [PMID: 38484799 PMCID: PMC11007443 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107163] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The use of variable domain of the heavy-chain of the heavy-chain-only antibodies (VHHs) as disease-modifying biomolecules in neurodegenerative disorders holds promises, including targeting of aggregation-sensitive proteins. Exploitation of their clinical values depends however on the capacity to deliver VHHs with optimal physico-chemical properties for their specific context of use. We described previously a VHH with high therapeutic potential in a family of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. The activity of this promising parent VHH named Z70 relies on its binding within the central region of the tau protein. Accordingly, we carried out random mutagenesis followed by yeast two-hybrid screening to obtain optimized variants. The VHHs selected from this initial screen targeted the same epitope as VHH Z70 as shown using NMR spectroscopy and had indeed improved binding affinities according to dissociation constant values obtained by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. The improved affinities can be partially rationalized based on three-dimensional structures and NMR data of three complexes consisting of an optimized VHH and a peptide containing the tau epitope. Interestingly, the ability of the VHH variants to inhibit tau aggregation and seeding could not be predicted from their affinity alone. We indeed showed that the in vitro and in cellulo VHH stabilities are other limiting key factors to their efficacy. Our results demonstrate that only a complete pipeline of experiments, here described, permits a rational selection of optimized VHH variants, resulting in the selection of VHH variants with higher affinities and/or acting against tau seeding in cell models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Mortelecque
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
| | - Orgeta Zejneli
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Séverine Bégard
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Margarida C Simões
- BioISI - Instituto de Biosistemas e Ciências Integrativas, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Lea ElHajjar
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
| | - Marine Nguyen
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
| | - François-Xavier Cantrelle
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
| | - Xavier Hanoulle
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
| | | | - Morvane Colin
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Cláudio M Gomes
- BioISI - Instituto de Biosistemas e Ciências Integrativas, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Luc Buée
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France.
| | - Isabelle Landrieu
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France.
| | - Clément Danis
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU-Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Elian Dupré
- CNRS EMR9002 - BSI - Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France.
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Chang K, Barrett A, Pham K, Troncoso JC. Lateral geniculate body is spared of tau pathology in Pick disease. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2024; 83:238-244. [PMID: 38412343 PMCID: PMC10951972 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlae016] [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: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The pathobiology of tau is of great importance for understanding the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in aging and age-associated disorders such as Alzheimer disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementias. It is critical to identify neuronal populations and brain regions that are vulnerable or resistant to tau pathological changes. Pick disease (PiD) is a three-repeat (3R) tauopathy that belongs to the group of frontotemporal lobar degenerations. The neuropathologic changes of PiD are characterized by globular tau-positive neuronal intracytoplasmic inclusions, called Pick bodies, in the granule cells of the dentate gyrus and frontal and temporal neocortices, and ballooned neurons, named Pick neurons, in the neocortex. In the present study, we examined 13 autopsy-confirmed cases of PiD. Using immunohistochemistry for phospho-tau (AT8) and 3R tau isoform, all PiD cases demonstrated extensive lesions involving the hippocampus and neocortex. However, the lateral geniculate body (LGB) is spared of significant tau lesions in contrast to the neighboring hippocampus and other thalamic nuclei. Only 1 PiD case (7.7%) had tau-positive neurons, and 4 cases had tau-positive neurites (31%) in the LGB. By contrast, the LGB does consistently harbor tau lesions in other tauopathies including progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, and AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koping Chang
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department and Graduate Institute of Pathology, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Alexander Barrett
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Khoa Pham
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Juan C Troncoso
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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18
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Rubinski A, Dewenter A, Zheng L, Franzmeier N, Stephenson H, Deming Y, Duering M, Gesierich B, Denecke J, Pham AV, Bendlin B, Ewers M. Florbetapir PET-assessed demyelination is associated with faster tau accumulation in an APOE ε4-dependent manner. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2024; 51:1035-1049. [PMID: 38049659 PMCID: PMC10881623 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-023-06530-8] [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: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The main objectives were to test whether (1) a decrease in myelin is associated with enhanced rate of fibrillar tau accumulation and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, and (2) whether apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 genotype is associated with worse myelin decrease and thus tau accumulation. METHODS To address our objectives, we repurposed florbetapir-PET as a marker of myelin in the white matter (WM) based on previous validation studies showing that beta-amyloid (Aβ) PET tracers bind to WM myelin. We assessed 43 Aβ-biomarker negative (Aβ-) cognitively normal participants and 108 Aβ+ participants within the AD spectrum with florbetapir-PET at baseline and longitudinal flortaucipir-PET as a measure of fibrillar tau (tau-PET) over ~ 2 years. In linear regression analyses, we tested florbetapir-PET in the whole WM and major fiber tracts as predictors of tau-PET accumulation in a priori defined regions of interest (ROIs) and fiber-tract projection areas. In mediation analyses we tested whether tau-PET accumulation mediates the effect of florbetapir-PET in the whole WM on cognition. Finally, we assessed the role of myelin alteration on the association between APOE and tau-PET accumulation. RESULTS Lower florbetapir-PET in the whole WM or at a given fiber tract was predictive of faster tau-PET accumulation in Braak stages or the connected grey matter areas in Aβ+ participants. Faster tau-PET accumulation in higher cortical brain areas mediated the association between a decrease in florbetapir-PET in the WM and a faster rate of decline in global cognition and episodic memory. APOE ε4 genotype was associated with a worse decrease in the whole WM florbetapir-PET and thus enhanced tau-PET accumulation. CONCLUSION Myelin alterations are associated in an APOE ε4 dependent manner with faster tau progression and cognitive decline, and may therefore play a role in the etiology of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Rubinski
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Dewenter
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lukai Zheng
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Nicolai Franzmeier
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Henry Stephenson
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin- Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Yuetiva Deming
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin- Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Marco Duering
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Medical Image Analysis Center (MIAC) and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Benno Gesierich
- Medical Image Analysis Center (MIAC) and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jannis Denecke
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - An-Vi Pham
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Barbara Bendlin
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin- Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Michael Ewers
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Munich, Germany.
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany.
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19
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Taskina D, Zhu C, Schwab N, Hazrati LN. Brain pathology and symptoms linked to concussion history: beyond chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcad314. [PMID: 38560515 PMCID: PMC10977958 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad314] [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: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Repeated head trauma acquired through sports injuries has been associated with the development of long-term disabling symptoms that negatively impact the quality of life. In this retrospective case series, 52 male former professional athletes involved in contact sports and with a history of multiple concussions were evaluated for chronic clinical symptoms and post-mortem neuropathological diagnoses. The clinical symptoms of 19 cases were examined in greater detail for symptom type, severity and duration. Information on neurological, psychiatric and physical symptoms, substance use profiles and concussion histories was obtained from the athletes' next of kin and assessed in relation to post-mortem neuropathological diagnoses. Cases were categorized into three different neuropathological groups: no major neuropathological findings, the presence of only chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and the diagnosis(es) of other neurodegenerative diseases. Age at death and the presence of DNA damage in the post-mortem brains were analysed for correlation with the clinical symptoms. In this case series, 14/52 (26.9%) cases (mean age 48.2 ± 11.4) had neuropathological evidence of low-stage/low-burden CTE. A total of 11/52 (21.2%) cases (mean age 38.7 ± 12.7) presented a similar profile and severity of behavioural symptoms to those with CTE, despite the lack of significant post-mortem neuropathological findings. A total of 27/52 (51.9%) cases (mean age 75.5 ± 8.7) presented with complex post-mortem neurodegenerative diagnoses, including Alzheimer's disease and other mixed pathologies, and clinical symptoms associated with language, memory and sensory dysfunction. The presence of DNA damage in the brain was found in all neuropathological groups, predominantly in the ependymal lining of ventricles, and phosphorylated histone H2AX staining was correlated with higher age at death (r = 0.59) and symptoms of language dysfunction (r = 0.56). Findings from our case series suggest that post-concussive symptoms are not driven by CTE. Our findings show that proteinopathies alone may not account for the complexity of the clinical manifestations and suggest the possibility of other drivers, such as DNA damage, as potentially useful markers of brain trauma. Broadening the search for biological markers that reflect the effects of brain injury, even when proteinopathy is not observed, and taking a symptom-driven approach are therefore advised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Taskina
- Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Cherrie Zhu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Nicole Schwab
- Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Lili-Naz Hazrati
- Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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20
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Planche V, Mansencal B, Manjon JV, Meissner WG, Tourdias T, Coupé P. Staging of progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson syndrome using MRI brain charts for the human lifespan. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae055. [PMID: 38444913 PMCID: PMC10914441 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae055] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Brain charts for the human lifespan have been recently proposed to build dynamic models of brain anatomy in normal aging and various neurological conditions. They offer new possibilities to quantify neuroanatomical changes from preclinical stages to death, where longitudinal MRI data are not available. In this study, we used brain charts to model the progression of brain atrophy in progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson syndrome. We combined multiple datasets (n = 8170 quality controlled MRI of healthy subjects from 22 cohorts covering the entire lifespan, and n = 62 MRI of progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson syndrome patients from the Four Repeat Tauopathy Neuroimaging Initiative (4RTNI)) to extrapolate lifetime volumetric models of healthy and progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson syndrome brain structures. We then mapped in time and space the sequential divergence between healthy and progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson syndrome charts. We found six major consecutive stages of atrophy progression: (i) ventral diencephalon (including subthalamic nuclei, substantia nigra, and red nuclei), (ii) pallidum, (iii) brainstem, striatum and amygdala, (iv) thalamus, (v) frontal lobe, and (vi) occipital lobe. The three structures with the most severe atrophy over time were the thalamus, followed by the pallidum and the brainstem. These results match the neuropathological staging of tauopathy progression in progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson syndrome, where the pathology is supposed to start in the pallido-nigro-luysian system and spreads rostrally via the striatum and the amygdala to the cerebral cortex, and caudally to the brainstem. This study supports the use of brain charts for the human lifespan to study the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, especially in the absence of specific biomarkers as in PSP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Planche
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- Centre Mémoire Ressources Recherches, Service de Neurologie des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Pôle de Neurosciences Cliniques, CHU de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Boris Mansencal
- CNRS, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, Laboratoire Bordelais de Recherche en Informatique (LABRI), UMR5800, F-33400 Talence, France
| | - Jose V Manjon
- Instituto de Aplicaciones de las Tecnologías de la Información y de las Comunicaciones Avanzadas (ITACA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain
| | - Wassilios G Meissner
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- Service de Neurologie des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Réseau NS-Park/FCRIN, CHU Bordeaux, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
- Department of Medicine, Christchurch, and New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, 8011, New Zealand
| | - Thomas Tourdias
- Inserm U1215—Neurocentre Magendie, Bordeaux F-33000, France
- Service de Neuroimagerie diagnostique et thérapeutique, CHU de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Pierrick Coupé
- CNRS, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, Laboratoire Bordelais de Recherche en Informatique (LABRI), UMR5800, F-33400 Talence, France
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21
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Young AL, Oxtoby NP, Garbarino S, Fox NC, Barkhof F, Schott JM, Alexander DC. Data-driven modelling of neurodegenerative disease progression: thinking outside the black box. Nat Rev Neurosci 2024; 25:111-130. [PMID: 38191721 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00779-6] [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] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Data-driven disease progression models are an emerging set of computational tools that reconstruct disease timelines for long-term chronic diseases, providing unique insights into disease processes and their underlying mechanisms. Such methods combine a priori human knowledge and assumptions with large-scale data processing and parameter estimation to infer long-term disease trajectories from short-term data. In contrast to 'black box' machine learning tools, data-driven disease progression models typically require fewer data and are inherently interpretable, thereby aiding disease understanding in addition to enabling classification, prediction and stratification. In this Review, we place the current landscape of data-driven disease progression models in a general framework and discuss their enhanced utility for constructing a disease timeline compared with wider machine learning tools that construct static disease profiles. We review the insights they have enabled across multiple neurodegenerative diseases, notably Alzheimer disease, for applications such as determining temporal trajectories of disease biomarkers, testing hypotheses about disease mechanisms and uncovering disease subtypes. We outline key areas for technological development and translation to a broader range of neuroscience and non-neuroscience applications. Finally, we discuss potential pathways and barriers to integrating disease progression models into clinical practice and trial settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra L Young
- UCL Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK.
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Neil P Oxtoby
- UCL Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Sara Garbarino
- Life Science Computational Laboratory, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Nick C Fox
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Frederik Barkhof
- UCL Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jonathan M Schott
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel C Alexander
- UCL Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
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22
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Franzmeier N, Dehsarvi A, Steward A, Biel D, Dewenter A, Roemer SN, Wagner F, Groß M, Brendel M, Moscoso A, Arunachalam P, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Ewers M, Schöll M. Elevated CSF GAP-43 is associated with accelerated tau accumulation and spread in Alzheimer's disease. Nat Commun 2024; 15:202. [PMID: 38172114 PMCID: PMC10764818 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44374-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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
In Alzheimer's disease, amyloid-beta (Aβ) triggers the trans-synaptic spread of tau pathology, and aberrant synaptic activity has been shown to promote tau spreading. Aβ induces aberrant synaptic activity, manifesting in increases in the presynaptic growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), which is closely involved in synaptic activity and plasticity. We therefore tested whether Aβ-related GAP-43 increases, as a marker of synaptic changes, drive tau spreading in 93 patients across the aging and Alzheimer's spectrum with available CSF GAP-43, amyloid-PET and longitudinal tau-PET assessments. We found that (1) higher GAP-43 was associated with faster Aβ-related tau accumulation, specifically in brain regions connected closest to subject-specific tau epicenters and (2) that higher GAP-43 strengthened the association between Aβ and connectivity-associated tau spread. This suggests that GAP-43-related synaptic changes are linked to faster Aβ-related tau spread across connected regions and that synapses could be key targets for preventing tau spreading in Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolai Franzmeier
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany.
- University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Mölndal and Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Amir Dehsarvi
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Steward
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Davina Biel
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Dewenter
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Niclas Roemer
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Fabian Wagner
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mattes Groß
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Brendel
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Alexis Moscoso
- University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Mölndal and Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Prithvi Arunachalam
- University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Mölndal and Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kaj Blennow
- University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Mölndal and Gothenburg, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Mölndal and Gothenburg, 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
| | - Michael Ewers
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
| | - Michael Schöll
- University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Mölndal and Gothenburg, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Dementia Research Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
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23
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Hojjati SH, Chiang GC, Butler TA, de Leon M, Gupta A, Li Y, Sabuncu MR, Feiz F, Nayak S, Shteingart J, Ozoria S, Gholipour Picha S, Stern Y, Luchsinger JA, Devanand DP, Razlighi QR. Remote Associations Between Tau and Cortical Amyloid-β Are Stage-Dependent. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 98:1467-1482. [PMID: 38552116 DOI: 10.3233/jad-231362] [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: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Background Histopathologic studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggest that extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques promote the spread of neurofibrillary tau tangles. However, these two proteinopathies initiate in spatially distinct brain regions, so how they interact during AD progression is unclear. Objective In this study, we utilized Aβ and tau positron emission tomography (PET) scans from 572 older subjects (476 healthy controls (HC), 14 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 82 with mild AD), at varying stages of the disease, to investigate to what degree tau is associated with cortical Aβ deposition. Methods Using multiple linear regression models and a pseudo-longitudinal ordering technique, we investigated remote tau-Aβ associations in four pathologic phases of AD progression based on tau spread: 1) no-tau, 2) pre-acceleration, 3) acceleration, and 4) post-acceleration. Results No significant tau-Aβ association was detected in the no-tau phase. In the pre-acceleration phase, the earliest stage of tau deposition, associations emerged between regional tau in medial temporal lobe (MTL) (i.e., entorhinal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus) and cortical Aβ in lateral temporal lobe regions. The strongest tau-Aβ associations were found in the acceleration phase, in which tau in MTL regions was strongly associated with cortical Aβ (i.e., temporal and frontal lobes regions). Strikingly, in the post-acceleration phase, including 96% of symptomatic subjects, tau-Aβ associations were no longer significant. Conclusions The results indicate that associations between tau and Aβ are stage-dependent, which could have important implications for understanding the interplay between these two proteinopathies during the progressive stages of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Hani Hojjati
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gloria C Chiang
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tracy A Butler
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mony de Leon
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ajay Gupta
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yi Li
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mert R Sabuncu
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Farnia Feiz
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Siddharth Nayak
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jacob Shteingart
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sindy Ozoria
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Saman Gholipour Picha
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yaakov Stern
- Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, GH Sergievsky Center, The Taub Institute for the Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - José A Luchsinger
- Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Davangere P Devanand
- Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Qolamreza R Razlighi
- Department of Radiology, Brain Health Imaging Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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24
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Veitch DP, Weiner MW, Miller M, Aisen PS, Ashford MA, Beckett LA, Green RC, Harvey D, Jack CR, Jagust W, Landau SM, Morris JC, Nho KT, Nosheny R, Okonkwo O, Perrin RJ, Petersen RC, Rivera Mindt M, Saykin A, Shaw LM, Toga AW, Tosun D. The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative in the era of Alzheimer's disease treatment: A review of ADNI studies from 2021 to 2022. Alzheimers Dement 2024; 20:652-694. [PMID: 37698424 PMCID: PMC10841343 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13449] [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: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) aims to improve Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials. Since 2006, ADNI has shared clinical, neuroimaging, and cognitive data, and biofluid samples. We used conventional search methods to identify 1459 publications from 2021 to 2022 using ADNI data/samples and reviewed 291 impactful studies. This review details how ADNI studies improved disease progression understanding and clinical trial efficiency. Advances in subject selection, detection of treatment effects, harmonization, and modeling improved clinical trials and plasma biomarkers like phosphorylated tau showed promise for clinical use. Biomarkers of amyloid beta, tau, neurodegeneration, inflammation, and others were prognostic with individualized prediction algorithms available online. Studies supported the amyloid cascade, emphasized the importance of neuroinflammation, and detailed widespread heterogeneity in disease, linked to genetic and vascular risk, co-pathologies, sex, and resilience. Biological subtypes were consistently observed. Generalizability of ADNI results is limited by lack of cohort diversity, an issue ADNI-4 aims to address by enrolling a diverse cohort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dallas P. Veitch
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical CenterNorthern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE)San FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical CenterCenter for Imaging of Neurodegenerative DiseasesSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Michael W. Weiner
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical CenterCenter for Imaging of Neurodegenerative DiseasesSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical ImagingUniversity of CaliforniaSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of MedicineUniversity of CaliforniaSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of CaliforniaSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Melanie Miller
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical CenterNorthern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE)San FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical CenterCenter for Imaging of Neurodegenerative DiseasesSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Paul S. Aisen
- Alzheimer's Therapeutic Research InstituteUniversity of Southern CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Miriam A. Ashford
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical CenterNorthern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE)San FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Laurel A. Beckett
- Division of BiostatisticsDepartment of Public Health SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Robert C. Green
- Division of GeneticsDepartment of MedicineBrigham and Women's HospitalBroad Institute Ariadne Labs and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Danielle Harvey
- Division of BiostatisticsDepartment of Public Health SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - William Jagust
- Helen Wills Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of California BerkeleyBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Susan M. Landau
- Helen Wills Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of California BerkeleyBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
| | - John C. Morris
- Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research CenterWashington University School of MedicineSaint LouisMissouriUSA
- Department of NeurologyWashington University School of MedicineSaint LouisMissouriUSA
- Department of Pathology and ImmunologyWashington University School of MedicineSaint LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Kwangsik T. Nho
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences and the Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research CenterIndiana University School of MedicineIndianapolisIndianaUSA
- Center for Computational Biology and BioinformaticsIndiana University School of MedicineIndianapolisIndianaUSA
| | - Rachel Nosheny
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical CenterCenter for Imaging of Neurodegenerative DiseasesSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Ozioma Okonkwo
- Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Department of MedicineUniversity of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public HealthMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Richard J. Perrin
- Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research CenterWashington University School of MedicineSaint LouisMissouriUSA
- Department of NeurologyWashington University School of MedicineSaint LouisMissouriUSA
- Department of Pathology and ImmunologyWashington University School of MedicineSaint LouisMissouriUSA
| | | | - Monica Rivera Mindt
- Department of PsychologyLatin American and Latino Studies InstituteAfrican and African American StudiesFordham UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of NeurologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Andrew Saykin
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences and the Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research CenterIndiana University School of MedicineIndianapolisIndianaUSA
- Department of Medical and Molecular GeneticsIndiana University School of MedicineIndianapolisIndianaUSA
| | - Leslie M. Shaw
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the PENN Alzheimer's Disease Research CenterCenter for Neurodegenerative ResearchPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Arthur W. Toga
- Laboratory of Neuro ImagingInstitute of Neuroimaging and InformaticsKeck School of Medicine of University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Duygu Tosun
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical CenterCenter for Imaging of Neurodegenerative DiseasesSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical ImagingUniversity of CaliforniaSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
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25
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L'Esperance OJ, McGhee J, Davidson G, Niraula S, Smith AS, Sosunov AA, Yan SS, Subramanian J. Functional Connectivity Favors Aberrant Visual Network c-Fos Expression Accompanied by Cortical Synapse Loss in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 101:111-131. [PMID: 39121131 DOI: 10.3233/jad-240776] [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: 08/11/2024]
Abstract
Background While Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been extensively studied with a focus on cognitive networks, visual network dysfunction has received less attention despite compelling evidence of its significance in AD patients and mouse models. We recently reported c-Fos and synaptic dysregulation in the primary visual cortex of a pre-amyloid plaque AD-model. Objective We test whether c-Fos expression and presynaptic density/dynamics differ in cortical and subcortical visual areas in an AD-model. We also examine whether aberrant c-Fos expression is inherited through functional connectivity and shaped by light experience. Methods c-Fos+ cell density, functional connectivity, and their experience-dependent modulation were assessed for visual and whole-brain networks in both sexes of 4-6-month-old J20 (AD-model) and wildtype (WT) mice. Cortical and subcortical differences in presynaptic vulnerability in the AD-model were compared using ex vivo and in vivo imaging. Results Visual cortical, but not subcortical, networks show aberrant c-Fos expression and impaired experience-dependent modulation. The average functional connectivity of a brain region in WT mice significantly predicts aberrant c-Fos expression, which correlates with impaired experience-dependent modulation in the AD-model. We observed a subtle yet selective weakening of excitatory visual cortical synapses. The size distribution of cortical boutons in the AD-model is downscaled relative to those in WT mice, suggesting a synaptic scaling-like adaptation of bouton size. Conclusions Visual network structural and functional disruptions are biased toward cortical regions in pre-plaque J20 mice, and the cellular and synaptic dysregulation in the AD-model represents a maladaptive modification of the baseline physiology seen in WT conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver J L'Esperance
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Joshua McGhee
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Garett Davidson
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Suraj Niraula
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Adam S Smith
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Alexandre A Sosunov
- Department of Neurosurgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shirley Shidu Yan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jaichandar Subramanian
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
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Strobel J, Müller HP, Ludolph AC, Beer AJ, Sollmann N, Kassubek J. New Perspectives in Radiological and Radiopharmaceutical Hybrid Imaging in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Systematic Review. Cells 2023; 12:2776. [PMID: 38132096 PMCID: PMC10742083 DOI: 10.3390/cells12242776] [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: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by four-repeat tau deposition in various cell types and anatomical regions, and can manifest as several clinical phenotypes, including the most common phenotype, Richardson's syndrome. The limited availability of biomarkers for PSP relates to the overlap of clinical features with other neurodegenerative disorders, but identification of a growing number of biomarkers from imaging is underway. One way to increase the reliability of imaging biomarkers is to combine different modalities for multimodal imaging. This review aimed to provide an overview of the current state of PSP hybrid imaging by combinations of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Specifically, combined PET and MRI studies in PSP highlight the potential of [18F]AV-1451 to detect tau, but also the challenge in differentiating PSP from other neurodegenerative diseases. Studies over the last years showed a reduced synaptic density in [11C]UCB-J PET, linked [11C]PK11195 and [18F]AV-1451 markers to disease progression, and suggested the potential role of [18F]RO948 PET for identifying tau pathology in subcortical regions. The integration of quantitative global and regional gray matter analysis by MRI may further guide the assessment of reduced cortical thickness or volume alterations, and diffusion MRI could provide insight into microstructural changes and structural connectivity in PSP. Challenges in radiopharmaceutical biomarkers and hybrid imaging require further research targeting markers for comprehensive PSP diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Strobel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany;
| | - Hans-Peter Müller
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (H.-P.M.); (A.C.L.); (J.K.)
| | - Albert C. Ludolph
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (H.-P.M.); (A.C.L.); (J.K.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Ambros J. Beer
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany;
| | - Nico Sollmann
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany;
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany
- TUM-Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Jan Kassubek
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (H.-P.M.); (A.C.L.); (J.K.)
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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27
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Jellinger KA. Pathomechanisms of cognitive and behavioral impairment in corticobasal degeneration. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2023; 130:1509-1522. [PMID: 37659990 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02691-w] [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: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a rare, sporadic, late-onset progressive neurodegenerative disorder of unknown etiology, clinically characterized by an akinetic-rigid syndrome, behavior and personality disorders, language problems (aphasias), apraxia, executive and cognitive abnormalities and limb dystonia. The syndrome is not specific, as clinical features of pathologically proven CBD include several phenotypes. This 4-repeat (4R) tauopathy is morphologically featured by often asymmetric frontoparietal atrophy, ballooned/achromatic neurons containing filamentous 4R-tau aggregates in cortex and striatum, thread-like processes that are more widespread than in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), pathognomonic "astroglial plaques", and numerous inclusions in both astrocytes and oligodendroglia ("coiled bodies") in the white matter. Cognitive deficits in CBD are frequent initial presentations before onset of motor symptoms, depending on the phenotypic variant. They predominantly include executive and visuospatial dysfunction, sleep disorders and language deficits with usually preserved memory domains. Neuroimaging studies showed heterogenous locations of brain atrophy, particularly contralateral to the dominant symptoms, with disruption of striatal connections to prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia circuitry. Asymmetric hypometabolism, mainly involving frontal and parietal regions, is associated with brain cholinergic deficits, and dopaminergic nigrostriatal degeneration. Widespread alteration of cortical and subcortical structures causing heterogenous changes in various brain functional networks support the concept that CBD, similar to PSP, is a brain network disruption disorder. Putative pathogenic factors are hyperphosphorylated tau-pathology, neuroinflammation and oxidative injury, but the basic mechanisms of cognitive impairment in CBD, as in other degenerative movement disorders, are complex and deserve further elucidation as a basis for early diagnosis and adequate treatment of this fatal disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt A Jellinger
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, Alberichgasse 5/13, 1150, Vienna, Austria.
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28
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Hong J, Lu J, Liu F, Wang M, Li X, Clement C, Lopes L, Brendel M, Rominger A, Yen TC, Guan Y, Tian M, Wang J, Zuo C, Shi K. Uncovering distinct progression patterns of tau deposition in progressive supranuclear palsy using [ 18F]Florzolotau PET imaging and subtype/stage inference algorithm. EBioMedicine 2023; 97:104835. [PMID: 37839135 PMCID: PMC10590768 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104835] [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: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a primary 4-repeat tauopathy with diverse clinical phenotypes. Previous post-mortem studies examined tau deposition sequences in PSP, but in vivo scrutiny is lacking. METHODS We conducted [18F]Florzolotau tau positron emission tomography (PET) scans on 148 patients who were clinically diagnosed with PSP and 20 healthy controls. We employed the Subtype and Stage Inference (SuStaIn) algorithm to identify PSP subtype/stage and related tau patterns, comparing clinical features across subtypes and assessing PSP stage-clinical severity association. We also evaluated functional connectivity differences among subtypes through resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. FINDINGS We identified two distinct subtypes of PSP: Subtype1 and Subtype2. Subtype1 typically exhibits a sequential progression of the disease, starting from subcortical and gradually moving to cortical regions. Conversely, Subtype2 is characterized by an early, simultaneous onset in both regions. Interestingly, once the disease is initiated, Subtype1 tends to spread more rapidly within each region compared to Subtype2. Individuals categorized as Subtype2 are generally older and exhibit less severe dysfunctions in areas such as cognition, bulbar, limb motor, and general motor functions compared to those with Subtype1. Moreover, they have a more favorable prognosis in terms of limb motor function. We found significant correlations between several clinical variables and the identified PSP SuStaIn stages. Furthermore, Subtype2 displayed a remarkable reduction in functional connectivity compared to Subtype1. INTERPRETATION We present the evidence of distinct in vivo spatiotemporal tau trajectories in PSP. Our findings can contribute to precision medicine advancements for PSP. FUNDING This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (number 82272039, 81971641, 82021002, and 92249302); Swiss National Science Foundation (number 188350); the STI2030-Major Project of China (number 2022ZD0211600); the Clinical Research Plan of Shanghai Hospital Development Center of China (number SHDC2020CR1038B); and the National Key R&D Program of China (number 2022YFC2009902, 2022YFC2009900), the China Scholarship Council (number 202006100181); the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) under Germany's Excellence Strategy within the framework of the Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (EXC 2145 SyNergy, ID 390857198).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimin Hong
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jiaying Lu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Nuclear Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; National Center for Neurological Disorders & National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fengtao Liu
- National Center for Neurological Disorders & National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Wang
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China; Department of Informatics, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Xinyi Li
- National Center for Neurological Disorders & National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Christoph Clement
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Leonor Lopes
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Brendel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Munich, Munich, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany; Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Axel Rominger
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Yihui Guan
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; National Center for Neurological Disorders & National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mei Tian
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; International Human Phenome Institutes (Shanghai), Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Wang
- National Center for Neurological Disorders & National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Chuantao Zuo
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; National Center for Neurological Disorders & National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Kuangyu Shi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Informatics, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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Finze A, Biechele G, Rauchmann BS, Franzmeier N, Palleis C, Katzdobler S, Weidinger E, Guersel S, Schuster S, Harris S, Schmitt J, Beyer L, Gnörich J, Lindner S, Albert NL, Wetzel CH, Rupprecht R, Rominger A, Danek A, Burow L, Kurz C, Tato M, Utecht J, Papazov B, Zaganjori M, Trappmann LK, Goldhardt O, Grimmer T, Haeckert J, Janowitz D, Buerger K, Keeser D, Stoecklein S, Dietrich O, Morenas-Rodriguez E, Barthel H, Sabri O, Bartenstein P, Simons M, Haass C, Höglinger GU, Levin J, Perneczky R, Brendel M. Individual regional associations between Aβ-, tau- and neurodegeneration (ATN) with microglial activation in patients with primary and secondary tauopathies. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:4438-4450. [PMID: 37495886 PMCID: PMC10827660 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02188-8] [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: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
β-amyloid (Aβ) and tau aggregation as well as neuronal injury and atrophy (ATN) are the major hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and biomarkers for these hallmarks have been linked to neuroinflammation. However, the detailed regional associations of these biomarkers with microglial activation in individual patients remain to be elucidated. We investigated a cohort of 55 patients with AD and primary tauopathies and 10 healthy controls that underwent TSPO-, Aβ-, tau-, and perfusion-surrogate-PET, as well as structural MRI. Z-score deviations for 246 brain regions were calculated and biomarker contributions of Aβ (A), tau (T), perfusion (N1), and gray matter atrophy (N2) to microglial activation (TSPO, I) were calculated for each individual subject. Individual ATN-related microglial activation was correlated with clinical performance and CSF soluble TREM2 (sTREM2) concentrations. In typical and atypical AD, regional tau was stronger and more frequently associated with microglial activation when compared to regional Aβ (AD: βT = 0.412 ± 0.196 vs. βA = 0.142 ± 0.123, p < 0.001; AD-CBS: βT = 0.385 ± 0.176 vs. βA = 0.131 ± 0.186, p = 0.031). The strong association between regional tau and microglia reproduced well in primary tauopathies (βT = 0.418 ± 0.154). Stronger individual associations between tau and microglial activation were associated with poorer clinical performance. In patients with 4RT, sTREM2 levels showed a positive association with tau-related microglial activation. Tau pathology has strong regional associations with microglial activation in primary and secondary tauopathies. Tau and Aβ related microglial response indices may serve as a two-dimensional in vivo assessment of neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Grants
- EXC 2145 SyNergy - ID 390857198 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
- EXC 2155 - project number 39087428 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
- HO2402/18-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
- FOR-2858 project numbers 403161218, 421887978 and 422188432 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
- 19063p Alzheimer Forschung Initiative (Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V.)
- GUH was additionally funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, 01KU1403A EpiPD; 01EK1605A HitTau; 01DH18025 TauTherapy); European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (Improve-PSP); VolkswagenStiftung (Niedersächsisches Vorab); Petermax-Müller Foundation (Etiology and Therapy of Synucleinopathies and Tauopathies). The Lüneburg Heritage and Friedrich-Baur-Stiftung have supported the work of CP. The Hirnliga e.V. supported recruitment and imaging of the ActiGliA cohort (Manfred-Strohscheer-Stiftung) by a grant to BSR and MB.
- TG received consulting fees from AbbVie, Alector, Anavex, Biogen, Eli Lilly, Functional Neuromodulation, Grifols, Iqvia, Noselab, Novo Nordisk, NuiCare, Orphanzyme, Roche Diagnostics, Roche Pharma, UCB, and Vivoryon; lecture fees from Grifols, Medical Tribune, Novo Nordisk, Roche Pharma, and Schwabe; and has received grants to his institution from Roche Diagnostics.
- CH collaborates with Denali Therapeutics. CH is chief advisor of ISAR Bioscience and a member of the advisory board of AviadoBio.
- Günter Höglinger participated in industry-sponsored research projects from Abbvie, Biogen, Biohaven, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, UCB; serves as a consultant for Abbvie, Alzprotect, Aprineua, Asceneuron, Bial, Biogen, Biohaven, Kyowa Kirin, Lundbeck, Novartis, Retrotope, Roche, Sanofi, UCB; received honoraria for scientific presentations from Abbvie, Bayer Vital, Bial, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Kyowa Kirin, Roche, Teva, UCB, Zambon; holds a patent on Treatment of Synucleinopathies. United States Patent No.: US 10,918,628 B2: EP 17 787 904.6-1109 / 3 525 788; received publication royalties from Academic Press, Kohlhammer, and Thieme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anika Finze
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Gloria Biechele
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Radiology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Boris-Stephan Rauchmann
- Department of Radiology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- NeuroImaging Core Unit Munich (NICUM), LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Nicolai Franzmeier
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Carla Palleis
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sabrina Katzdobler
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Endy Weidinger
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Selim Guersel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Schuster
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefanie Harris
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Julia Schmitt
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Leonie Beyer
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Gnörich
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Simon Lindner
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Nathalie L Albert
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian H Wetzel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Rainer Rupprecht
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Axel Rominger
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, Inselspital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Adrian Danek
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lena Burow
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Carolin Kurz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Maia Tato
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Julia Utecht
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Boris Papazov
- Department of Radiology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- NeuroImaging Core Unit Munich (NICUM), LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mirlind Zaganjori
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lena-Katharina Trappmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Oliver Goldhardt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Timo Grimmer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Jan Haeckert
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Daniel Keeser
- NeuroImaging Core Unit Munich (NICUM), LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sophia Stoecklein
- Department of Radiology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Olaf Dietrich
- Department of Radiology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Henryk Barthel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Osama Sabri
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter Bartenstein
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Mikael Simons
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Institute of Neuronal Cell Biology, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Haass
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Chair of Metabolic Biochemistry, Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Günter U Höglinger
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Johannes Levin
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Robert Perneczky
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Ageing Epidemiology (AGE) Research Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neurosciences (SITraN), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Matthias Brendel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany.
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany.
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Vogel JW, Corriveau-Lecavalier N, Franzmeier N, Pereira JB, Brown JA, Maass A, Botha H, Seeley WW, Bassett DS, Jones DT, Ewers M. Connectome-based modelling of neurodegenerative diseases: towards precision medicine and mechanistic insight. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:620-639. [PMID: 37620599 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00731-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are the most common cause of dementia. Although their underlying molecular pathologies have been identified, there is substantial heterogeneity in the patterns of progressive brain alterations across and within these diseases. Recent advances in neuroimaging methods have revealed that pathological proteins accumulate along specific macroscale brain networks, implicating the network architecture of the brain in the system-level pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the extent to which 'network-based neurodegeneration' applies across the wide range of neurodegenerative disorders remains unclear. Here, we discuss the state-of-the-art of neuroimaging-based connectomics for the mapping and prediction of neurodegenerative processes. We review findings supporting brain networks as passive conduits through which pathological proteins spread. As an alternative view, we also discuss complementary work suggesting that network alterations actively modulate the spreading of pathological proteins between connected brain regions. We conclude this Perspective by proposing an integrative framework in which connectome-based models can be advanced along three dimensions of innovation: incorporating parameters that modulate propagation behaviour on the basis of measurable biological features; building patient-tailored models that use individual-level information and allowing model parameters to interact dynamically over time. We discuss promises and pitfalls of these strategies for improving disease insights and moving towards precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob W Vogel
- Department of Clinical Sciences, SciLifeLab, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Nick Corriveau-Lecavalier
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Nicolai Franzmeier
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Acadamy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal and Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Joana B Pereira
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
- Neuro Division, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jesse A Brown
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Anne Maass
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hugo Botha
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - William W Seeley
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Dani S Bassett
- Departments of Bioengineering, Electrical and Systems Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - David T Jones
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Michael Ewers
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
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31
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Prokopiou PC, Engels-Domínguez N, Schultz AP, Sepulcre J, Koops EA, Papp KV, Marshall GA, Normandin MD, El Fakhri G, Rentz D, Sperling RA, Johnson KA, Jacobs HIL. Association of Novelty-Related Locus Coeruleus Function With Entorhinal Tau Deposition and Memory Decline in Preclinical Alzheimer Disease. Neurology 2023; 101:e1206-e1217. [PMID: 37491329 PMCID: PMC10516269 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000207646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The predictable Braak staging scheme suggests that cortical tau progression may be related to synaptically connected neurons. Animal and human neuroimaging studies demonstrated that changes in neuronal activity contribute to tau spreading. Whether similar mechanisms explain tau progression from the locus coeruleus (LC), a tiny noradrenergic brainstem nucleus involved in novelty, learning, and memory and among the earliest regions to accumulate tau, has not yet been established. We aimed to investigate whether novelty-related LC activity was associated with the accumulation of cortical tau and its implications for cognitive decline. METHODS We combined functional MRI data of a novel vs repeated face-name learning paradigm, [18F]-FTP-PET, [11C]-PiB-PET, and longitudinal cognitive data from 92 well-characterized older individuals in the Harvard Aging Brain Study. We related novelty vs repetition LC activity to cortical tau deposition and to longitudinal decline in memory, executive function, and the Preclinical Alzheimer Disease Cognitive Composite (version 5; PACC5). Structural equation modeling was used to examine whether entorhinal cortical (EC) tau mediated the relationship between LC activity and cognitive decline and whether this depended on beta-amyloid deposition. RESULTS The participants' average age at baseline was 69.67 ± 10.14 years. Fifty-one participants were female. Ninety-one participants were cognitively normal (CDR global = 0), and one participant had mild cognitive impairment (CDR global = 0.5) at baseline. Lower novelty-related LC activity was specifically related to greater tau deposition in the medial-lateral temporal cortex and steeper memory decline. LC activity during novelty vs repetition was not related to executive dysfunction or decline on the PACC5. The relationship between LC activity and memory decline was partially mediated by EC tau, particularly in individuals with elevated beta-amyloid deposition. DISCUSSION Our results suggested that lower novelty-related LC activity is associated with the emergence of EC tau and that the downstream effects of this LC-EC pathway on memory decline also require the presence of elevated beta-amyloid. Longitudinal studies are required to investigate whether optimal LC activity has the potential to delay tau spread and memory decline, which may have implications for designing targeted interventions promoting resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prokopis C Prokopiou
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Nina Engels-Domínguez
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Aaron P Schultz
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Jorge Sepulcre
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Elouise A Koops
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Kathryn V Papp
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Gad A Marshall
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Marc D Normandin
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Georges El Fakhri
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Dorene Rentz
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Reisa A Sperling
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Keith A Johnson
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- From the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging (P.C.P., N.E.-D., J.S., E.A.K., M.D.N., G.E.F., K.A.J., H.I.L.J.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Faculty of Health (N.E.-D., H.I.L.J.), Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology (A.P.S., K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (A.P.S.), Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (K.V.P., G.A.M., D.R., R.A.S., K.A.J.), Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
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Waheed Z, Choudhary J, Jatala FH, Fatimah, Noor A, Zerr I, Zafar S. The Role of Tau Proteoforms in Health and Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:5155-5166. [PMID: 37266762 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03387-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated binding protein in the nervous system that is known for its role in stabilizing microtubules throughout the nerve cell. It accumulates as β-sheet-rich aggregates and neurofibrillary tangles, leading to an array of different pathologies. Six splice variants of this protein, generated from the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene, are expressed in the brain. Amongst these variants, 0N3R, is prominent during fetal development, while the rest, 0N4R, 1N3R, 1N4R, 2N3R, and 2N4R, are expressed in postnatal stages. Tau isoforms play their role separately or in combination with others to contribute to one or multiple neurodegenerative disorders and clinical syndromes. For instance, in Alzheimer's disease and a subset of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD)-MAPT (i.e., R406W and V337M), both 3R and 4R isoforms are involved; therefore, they are called 3R/4R mix tauopathies. On the other hand, 4R isoforms are aggregated in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and a majority of FTLD-MAPT and these diseases are called 4R tauopathies. Similarly, Pick's disease has an association with 3R tau isoforms and is thereby referred to as 3R tauopathy. Unlike 3R isoforms, the 4R variants have a faster rate of aggregation that accelerates the associated neurodegenerative mechanisms. Moreover, post-translational modifications of each isoform occur at a different rate and dictate their physiological and pathological attributes. The smallest tau isoform (0N3R) is highly phosphorylated in the fetal brain but does not lead to the generation of aggregates. On the other hand, proteoforms in the adult human brain undergo aggregation upon their phosphorylation and glycation. Expanding on this knowledge, this article aims to review the physiological and pathological roles of tau isoforms and their underlying mechanisms that result in neurological deficits. Physiological and pathological relevance of microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT): Tau exists as six splice variants in the brain, each differing with respect to expression, post-translational modifications (PTMs), and aggregation kinetics. Physiologically, they are involved in the stabilization of microtubules that form the molecular highways for axonal transport. However, an imbalance in their expression and the associated PTMs leads to a disruption in their physiological function through the formation of neurofibrillary tangles that accumulate in various regions of the brain and contribute to several types of tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuha Waheed
- School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Bolan Road, Sector H-12, Islamabad, 46000, Pakistan
| | - Jawaria Choudhary
- School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Bolan Road, Sector H-12, Islamabad, 46000, Pakistan
| | - Faria Hasan Jatala
- School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Bolan Road, Sector H-12, Islamabad, 46000, Pakistan
| | - Fatimah
- School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Bolan Road, Sector H-12, Islamabad, 46000, Pakistan
| | - Aneeqa Noor
- School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Bolan Road, Sector H-12, Islamabad, 46000, Pakistan.
| | - Inga Zerr
- Clinical Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Saima Zafar
- School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Bolan Road, Sector H-12, Islamabad, 46000, Pakistan
- Clinical Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
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Whitwell JL. Clinical and neuroimaging features of the progressive supranuclear palsy- corticobasal degeneration continuum. Curr Opin Neurol 2023; 36:283-290. [PMID: 37462045 PMCID: PMC10586719 DOI: 10.1097/wco.0000000000001175] [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: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The aim of this study was to discuss how recent work has increased our understanding of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). The investigation of large and autopsy-confirmed cohorts, imaging modalities to assess different aspects of pathophysiology, clinical phenotypes and the application of advanced machine learning techniques, have led to recent advances in the field that will be discussed. RECENT FINDINGS Literature over the past 18 months will be discussed under the following themes: studies assessing how different neuroimaging modalities can improve the diagnosis of PSP and CBD from other neurodegenerative and parkinsonian disorders, including the investigation of pathological targets such as tau, iron, neuromelanin and dopamine and cholinergic systems; work improving our understanding of clinical, neuroanatomical and pathological heterogeneity in PSP and CBD; and work using advanced neuroimaging tools to investigate patterns of disease spread, as well as biological mechanisms potentially driving spread through the brain in PSP and CBD. SUMMARY The findings help improve the imaging-based diagnosis of PSP and CBD, allow more targeted prognostic estimates for patients accounting for phenotype or disease, and will aid in the development of appropriate and better-targeted disease biomarkers for clinical treatment trials.
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Geerts H, Bergeler S, Lytton WW, van der Graaf PH. Computational neurosciences and quantitative systems pharmacology: a powerful combination for supporting drug development in neurodegenerative diseases. J Pharmacokinet Pharmacodyn 2023:10.1007/s10928-023-09876-6. [PMID: 37505397 DOI: 10.1007/s10928-023-09876-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Successful clinical development of new therapeutic interventions is notoriously difficult, especially in neurodegenerative diseases, where predictive biomarkers are scarce and functional improvement is often based on patient's perception, captured by structured interviews. As a consequence, mechanistic modeling of the processes relevant to therapeutic interventions in CNS disorders has been lagging behind other disease indications, probably because of the perceived complexity of the brain. However in this report, we develop the argument that a combination of Computational Neurosciences and Quantitative Systems Pharmacology (QSP) modeling of molecular pathways is a powerful simulation tool to enhance the probability of successful drug development for neurodegenerative diseases. Computational Neurosciences aims to predict action potential dynamics and neuronal circuit activation that are ultimately linked to behavioral changes and clinically relevant functional outcomes. These processes can not only be affected by the disease state, but also by common genotype variants on neurotransmitter-related proteins and the psycho-active medications often prescribed in these patient populations. Quantitative Systems Pharmacology (QSP) modeling of molecular pathways allows to simulate key pathological drivers of dementia, such as protein aggregation and neuroinflammatory responses. They often impact neurotransmitter homeostasis and voltage-gated ion-channels or lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, ultimately leading to changes in action potential dynamics and clinical readouts. Combining these two modeling approaches can lead to better actionable understanding of the many non-linear pharmacodynamic processes active in the human diseased brain. Practical applications include a rational selection of the optimal doses in combination therapies, identification of subjects more likely to respond to treatment, a more balanced stratification of treatment arms in terms of comedications, disease status and common genotype variants and re-analysis of small clinical trials to uncover a possible clinical signal. Ultimately this will lead to a higher success rate of bringing new therapeutics to the right patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - William W Lytton
- Downstate Health Science University, State University of New York, Brooklyn, USA
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35
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Bravo CP, Giani AM, Perez JM, Zhao Z, Samelson A, Wong MY, Evangelisti A, Fan L, Pozner T, Mercedes M, Ye P, Patel T, Yarahmady A, Carling G, Lee VMY, Sharma M, Mok SA, Luo W, Zhao M, Kampmann M, Gong S, Gan L. Human iPSC 4R tauopathy model uncovers modifiers of tau propagation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.19.544278. [PMID: 37745431 PMCID: PMC10516028 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.19.544278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies are age-associated neurodegenerative diseases whose mechanistic underpinnings remain elusive, partially due to lack of appropriate human models. Current human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neurons express very low levels of 4-repeat (4R)-tau isoforms that are normally expressed in adult brain. Here, we engineered new iPSC lines to express 4R-tau and 4R-tau carrying the P301S MAPT mutation when differentiated into neurons. 4R-P301S neurons display progressive Tau inclusions upon seeding with Tau fibrils and recapitulate features of tauopathy phenotypes, including shared transcriptomic signatures, autophagic body accumulation, and impaired neuronal activity. A CRISPRi screen of genes associated with Tau pathobiology identified over 500 genetic modifiers of Tau-seeding-induced Tau propagation, including retromer VPS29 and the UFMylation cascade as top modifiers. In AD brains, the UFMylation cascade is altered in neurofibrillary-tangle-bearing neurons. Inhibiting the UFMylation cascade suppressed seeding-induced Tau propagation. This model provides a powerful platform to identify novel therapeutic strategies for 4R tauopathy.
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36
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Darricau M, Katsinelos T, Raschella F, Milekovic T, Crochemore L, Li Q, Courtine G, McEwan WA, Dehay B, Bezard E, Planche V. Tau seeds from patients induce progressive supranuclear palsy pathology and symptoms in primates. Brain 2023; 146:2524-2534. [PMID: 36382344 PMCID: PMC10232263 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Progressive supranuclear palsy is a primary tauopathy affecting both neurons and glia and is responsible for both motor and cognitive symptoms. Recently, it has been suggested that progressive supranuclear palsy tauopathy may spread in the brain from cell to cell in a 'prion-like' manner. However, direct experimental evidence of this phenomenon, and its consequences on brain functions, is still lacking in primates. In this study, we first derived sarkosyl-insoluble tau fractions from post-mortem brains of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy. We also isolated the same fraction from age-matched control brains. Compared to control extracts, the in vitro characterization of progressive supranuclear palsy-tau fractions demonstrated a high seeding activity in P301S-tau expressing cells, displaying after incubation abnormally phosphorylated (AT8- and AT100-positivity), misfolded, filamentous (pentameric formyl thiophene acetic acid positive) and sarkosyl-insoluble tau. We bilaterally injected two male rhesus macaques in the supranigral area with this fraction of progressive supranuclear palsy-tau proteopathic seeds, and two other macaques with the control fraction. The quantitative analysis of kinematic features revealed that progressive supranuclear palsy-tau injected macaques exhibited symptoms suggestive of parkinsonism as early as 6 months after injection, remaining present until euthanasia at 18 months. An object retrieval task showed the progressive appearance of a significant dysexecutive syndrome in progressive supranuclear palsy-tau injected macaques compared to controls. We found AT8-positive staining and 4R-tau inclusions only in progressive supranuclear palsy-tau injected macaques. Characteristic pathological hallmarks of progressive supranuclear palsy, including globose and neurofibrillary tangles, tufted astrocytes and coiled bodies, were found close to the injection sites but also in connected brain regions that are known to be affected in progressive supranuclear palsy (striatum, pallidum, thalamus). Interestingly, while glial AT8-positive lesions were the most frequent near the injection site, we found mainly neuronal inclusions in the remote brain area, consistent with a neuronal transsynaptic spreading of the disease. Our results demonstrate that progressive supranuclear palsy patient-derived tau aggregates can induce motor and behavioural impairments in non-human primates related to the prion-like seeding and spreading of typical pathological progressive supranuclear palsy lesions. This pilot study paves the way for supporting progressive supranuclear palsy-tau injected macaque as a relevant animal model to accelerate drug development targeting this rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Darricau
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Taxiarchis Katsinelos
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, CB2 0AH Cambridge, UK
| | - Flavio Raschella
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tomislav Milekovic
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Louis Crochemore
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Qin Li
- Motac Neuroscience, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Grégoire Courtine
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - William A McEwan
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, CB2 0AH Cambridge, UK
| | - Benjamin Dehay
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Erwan Bezard
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- Motac Neuroscience, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Vincent Planche
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- CHU de Bordeaux, Pôle de Neurosciences Cliniques, Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
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Gatto RG, Carlos AF, Reichard RR, Lowe VJ, Whitwell JL, Josephs KA. Comparative assessment of regional tau distribution by Tau-PET and Post-mortem neuropathology in a representative set of Alzheimer's & frontotemporal lobar degeneration patients. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284182. [PMID: 37167210 PMCID: PMC10174492 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284182] [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: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Flortaucipir (FTP) PET is a key imaging technique to evaluate tau burden indirectly. However, it appears to have greater utility for 3R+4R tau found in Alzheimer's disease (AD), compared to other non-AD tauopathies. The purpose of this study is to determine how flortaucipir uptake links to neuropathologically determined tau burden in AD and non-AD tauopathies. We identified nine individuals who had undergone antemortem tau-PET and postmortem neuropathological analyses. The cohort included three patients with low, moderate, and high AD neuropathologic changes (ADNC), five patients with a non-AD tauopathy (one Pick's disease, three progressive supranuclear palsies, and one globular glial tauopathy), and one control without ADNC. We compared regional flortaucipir PET uptake with tau burden using an anti-AT8 antibody. There was a very good correlation between flortaucipir uptake and tau burden in those with ADNC although, in one ADNC patient, flortaucipir uptake and tau burden did not match due to the presence of argyrophilic grains disease. Non-AD patients showed lower flortaucipir uptake globally compared to ADNC patients. In the non-AD patients, some regional associations between flortaucipir uptake and histopathological tau burden were observed. Flortaucipir uptake is strongly linked to underlying tau burden in patients with ADNC but there are instances where they do not match. On-the-other hand, flortaucipir has a limited capacity to represent histopathological tau burden in non-AD patients although there are instances where regional uptake correlates with regional tau burden. There is a definite need for the development of future generations of tau-PET ligands that can detect non-AD tau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo G. Gatto
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States of America
| | - Arenn F. Carlos
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States of America
| | - R. Ross Reichard
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States of America
| | - Val J. Lowe
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States of America
| | | | - Keith A. Josephs
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States of America
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38
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Schönecker S, Palleis C, Franzmeier N, Katzdobler S, Ferschmann C, Schuster S, Finze A, Scheifele M, Prix C, Fietzek U, Weidinger E, Nübling G, Vöglein J, Patt M, Barthel H, Sabri O, Danek A, Höglinger GU, Brendel M, Levin J. Symptomatology in 4-repeat tauopathies is associated with data-driven topology of [ 18F]-PI-2620 tau-PET signal. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 38:103402. [PMID: 37087820 PMCID: PMC10300609 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
In recent years in vivo visualization of tau deposits has become possible with various PET radiotracers. The tau tracer [18F]PI-2620 proved high affinity both to 3-repeat/4-repeat tau in Alzheimer's disease as well as to 4-repeat tau in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS). However, to be clinically relevant, biomarkers should not only correlate with pathological changes but also with disease stage and progression. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the correlation between topology of [18F]PI-2620 uptake and symptomatology in 4-repeat tauopathies. 72 patients with possible or probable 4-repeat tauopathy, i.e. 31 patients with PSP-Richardson's syndrome (PSP-RS), 30 with amyloid-negative CBS and 11 with PSP-non-RS/CBS, underwent [18F]PI-2620-PET. Principal component analysis was performed to identify groups of similar brain regions based on 20-40 min p.i. regional standardized uptake value ratio z-scores. Correlations between component scores and the items of the PSP Rating Scale were explored. Motor signs like gait, arising from chair and postural instability showed a positive correlation with tracer uptake in mesial frontoparietal lobes and the medial superior frontal gyrus and adjacent anterior cingulate cortex. While the signs disorientation and bradyphrenia showed a positive correlation with tracer uptake in the parietooccipital junction, the signs disorientation and arising from chair were negatively correlated with tau-PET signal in the caudate nucleus and thalamus. Total PSP Rating Scale Score showed a trend towards a positive correlation with mesial frontoparietal lobes and a negative correlation with caudate nucleus and thalamus. While in CBS patients, the main finding was a negative correlation of tracer binding in the caudate nucleus and thalamus and a positive correlation of tracer binding in medial frontal cortex with gait and motor signs, in PSP-RS patients various correlations of clinical signs with tracer binding in specific cerebral regions could be detected. Our data reveal [18F]PI-2620 tau-PET topology to correlate with symptomatology in 4-repeat tauopathies. Longitudinal studies will be needed to address whether a deterioration of signs and symptoms over time can be monitored by [18F]PI-2620 in 4-repeat tauopathies and whether [18F]PI-2620 may serve as a marker of disease progression in future therapeutic trials. The detected negative correlation of tracer binding in the caudate nucleus and thalamus with the signs disorientation and arising from chair may be due to an increasing atrophy in these regions leading to partial volume effects and a relative decrease of tracer uptake in the disease course. As cerebral regions correlating with symptomatology differ depending on the clinical phenotype, a precise knowledge of clinical signs and symptoms is necessary when interpreting [18F]PI-2620 PET results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Schönecker
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Carla Palleis
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany; Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Nicolai Franzmeier
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany; Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU München, Munich, Germany
| | - Sabrina Katzdobler
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany; Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Ferschmann
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Schuster
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anika Finze
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Maximilian Scheifele
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Catharina Prix
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Urban Fietzek
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany; Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Schön Klinik München Schwabing, Munich, Germany
| | - Endy Weidinger
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
| | - Georg Nübling
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jonathan Vöglein
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
| | - Marianne Patt
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Henryk Barthel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Osama Sabri
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Adrian Danek
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Günter U Höglinger
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany; Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany; European Reference Network for Rare Neurological Diseases (ERN-RND), Munich, Germany; Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Matthias Brendel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany; Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany; Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Levin
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany; Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany; European Reference Network for Rare Neurological Diseases (ERN-RND), Munich, Germany.
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Corriveau-Lecavalier N, Gunter JL, Kamykowski M, Dicks E, Botha H, Kremers WK, Graff-Radford J, Wiepert DA, Schwarz CG, Yacoub E, Knopman DS, Boeve BF, Ugurbil K, Petersen RC, Jack CR, Terpstra MJ, Jones DT. Default mode network failure and neurodegeneration across aging and amnestic and dysexecutive Alzheimer's disease. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad058. [PMID: 37013176 PMCID: PMC10066575 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
From a complex systems perspective, clinical syndromes emerging from neurodegenerative diseases are thought to result from multiscale interactions between aggregates of misfolded proteins and the disequilibrium of large-scale networks coordinating functional operations underpinning cognitive phenomena. Across all syndromic presentations of Alzheimer's disease, age-related disruption of the default mode network is accelerated by amyloid deposition. Conversely, syndromic variability may reflect selective neurodegeneration of modular networks supporting specific cognitive abilities. In this study, we leveraged the breadth of the Human Connectome Project-Aging cohort of non-demented individuals (N = 724) as a normative cohort to assess the robustness of a biomarker of default mode network dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease, the network failure quotient, across the aging spectrum. We then examined the capacity of the network failure quotient and focal markers of neurodegeneration to discriminate patients with amnestic (N = 8) or dysexecutive (N = 10) Alzheimer's disease from the normative cohort at the patient level, as well as between Alzheimer's disease phenotypes. Importantly, all participants and patients were scanned using the Human Connectome Project-Aging protocol, allowing for the acquisition of high-resolution structural imaging and longer resting-state connectivity acquisition time. Using a regression framework, we found that the network failure quotient related to age, global and focal cortical thickness, hippocampal volume, and cognition in the normative Human Connectome Project-Aging cohort, replicating previous results from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging that used a different scanning protocol. Then, we used quantile curves and group-wise comparisons to show that the network failure quotient commonly distinguished both dysexecutive and amnestic Alzheimer's disease patients from the normative cohort. In contrast, focal neurodegeneration markers were more phenotype-specific, where the neurodegeneration of parieto-frontal areas associated with dysexecutive Alzheimer's disease, while the neurodegeneration of hippocampal and temporal areas associated with amnestic Alzheimer's disease. Capitalizing on a large normative cohort and optimized imaging acquisition protocols, we highlight a biomarker of default mode network failure reflecting shared system-level pathophysiological mechanisms across aging and dysexecutive and amnestic Alzheimer's disease and biomarkers of focal neurodegeneration reflecting distinct pathognomonic processes across the amnestic and dysexecutive Alzheimer's disease phenotypes. These findings provide evidence that variability in inter-individual cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease may relate to both modular network degeneration and default mode network disruption. These results provide important information to advance complex systems approaches to cognitive aging and degeneration, expand the armamentarium of biomarkers available to aid diagnosis, monitor progression and inform clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Michael Kamykowski
- Department of Information Technology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Ellen Dicks
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Hugo Botha
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Walter K Kremers
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | | | | | | | - Essa Yacoub
- Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - David S Knopman
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Bradley F Boeve
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Kamil Ugurbil
- Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | | | - Clifford R Jack
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Melissa J Terpstra
- Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - David T Jones
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
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40
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Pathomechanisms of cognitive impairment in progressive supranuclear palsy. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2023; 130:481-493. [PMID: 36862189 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02613-w] [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: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by early postural instability and falls, oculomotor dysfunction (vertical supranuclear gaze palsy), parkinsonism with poor response to levodopa, pseudobulbar palsy, and cognitive impairment. This four-repeat tauopathy is morphologically featured by accumulation of tau protein in neurons and glia causing neuronal loss and gliosis in the extrapyramidal system associated with cortical atrophy and white matter lesions. Cognitive impairment being frequent in PSP and more severe than in multiple system atrophy and Parkinson disease, is dominated by executive dysfunction, with milder difficulties in memory, and visuo-spatial and naming dysfunctions. Showing longitudinal decline, it has been related to a variety of pathogenic mechanisms associated with the underlying neurodegenerative process, such as involvement of cholinergic and muscarinergic dysfunctions, and striking tau pathology in frontal and temporal cortical regions associated with reduced synaptic density. Altered striatofrontal, fronto-cerebellar, parahippocampal, and multiple subcortical structures, as well as widespread white matter lesions causing extensive connectivity disruptions in cortico-subcortical and cortico-brainstem connections, support the concept that PSP is a brain network disruption disorder. The pathophysiology and pathogenesis of cognitive impairment in PSP, as in other degenerative movement disorders, are complex and deserve further elucidation as a basis for adequate treatment to improve the quality of life of patients with this fatal disease.
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Marsili L, Duque KR, Gregor N, Abdelghany E, Abanto J, Duker AP, Hagen MC, Espay AJ, Bologna M. Bradykinesia in Neurodegenerative Disorders: A Blinded Video Analysis of Pathology-Proven Cases. Mov Disord 2023; 38:496-501. [PMID: 36707401 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29330] [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: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bradykinesia is a cardinal feature in parkinsonisms. No study has assessed the differential features of bradykinesia in patients with pathology-proven synucleinopathies and tauopathies. OBJECTIVE We examined whether bradykinesia features (speed, amplitude, rhythm, and sequence effect) may differ between pathology-proven synucleinopathies and tauopathies. METHODS Forty-two cases who underwent autopsy were included and divided into synucleinopathies (Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies) and tauopathies (progressive supranuclear palsy). Two raters blinded to the diagnosis retrospectively scored the Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III and Modified Bradykinesia Rating Scale on standardized videotaped neurological examinations. Bradykinesia scores were compared using the Mann-Whitney test and logistic regression models to adjust for disease duration. RESULTS Demographic and clinical parameters were similar between synucleinopathies and tauopathies. There were no differences between speed, amplitude, rhythm, and sequence effect in synucleinopathies and tauopathies in unadjusted comparisons and adjusted models (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Clinical bradykinesia features do not distinguish the underlying neuropathology in neurodegenerative parkinsonisms. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Marsili
- Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Kevin R Duque
- Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Nathan Gregor
- Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Elhusseini Abdelghany
- Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Jesus Abanto
- Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Andrew P Duker
- Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Matthew C Hagen
- Department of Pathology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Alberto J Espay
- Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Matteo Bologna
- Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
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I F. The unique neuropathological vulnerability of the human brain to aging. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 87:101916. [PMID: 36990284 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.101916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), argyrophilic grain disease (AGD), aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG), limbic predominant TDP-43 proteinopathy (LATE), and amygdala-predominant Lewy body disease (LBD) are proteinopathies that, together with hippocampal sclerosis, progressively appear in the elderly affecting from 50% to 99% of individuals aged 80 years, depending on the disease. These disorders usually converge on the same subject and associate with additive cognitive impairment. Abnormal Tau, TDP-43, and α-synuclein pathologies progress following a pattern consistent with an active cell-to-cell transmission and abnormal protein processing in the host cell. However, cell vulnerability and transmission pathways are specific for each disorder, albeit abnormal proteins may co-localize in particular neurons. All these alterations are unique or highly prevalent in humans. They all affect, at first, the archicortex and paleocortex to extend at later stages to the neocortex and other regions of the telencephalon. These observations show that the phylogenetically oldest areas of the human cerebral cortex and amygdala are not designed to cope with the lifespan of actual humans. New strategies aimed at reducing the functional overload of the human telencephalon, including optimization of dream repair mechanisms and implementation of artificial circuit devices to surrogate specific brain functions, appear promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferrer I
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Emeritus Researcher of the Bellvitge Institute of Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Network of Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
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43
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Tau PET imaging in progressive supranuclear palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Neurol 2023; 270:2451-2467. [PMID: 36633672 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-022-11556-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the difference of tau burden between patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and healthy controls (HCs) or other neurodegenerative diseases using tau-positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. METHODS A systematic search on PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases was performed for tau-PET studies in PSP patients, up to April 1, 2022. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) of tau tracer uptake were calculated using random-effects models. Subgroup analysis based on the type of tau tracers, meta-regression, and sensitivity analysis were conducted. RESULTS Twenty-seven studies comprising 553 PSP, 626 HCs, and 406 other neurodegenerative diseases were included. Compared with HCs, PSP patients showed elevated tau binding in basal ganglia, midbrain, dentate nucleus, cerebellar white matter, and frontal lobe with decreasing SMD (SMD: 0.390-1.698). Compared with Parkinson's disease patients, increased tau binding was identified in the midbrain, basal ganglia, dentate nucleus, and frontal and parietal lobe in PSP patients with decreasing SMD (SMD: 0.503-1.853). PSP patients showed higher tau binding in the subthalamic nucleus (SMD = 1.351) and globus pallidus (SMD = 1.000), and lower binding in the cortex and parahippocampal gyrus than Alzheimer's disease patients (SMD: - 2.976 to - 1.018). PSP patients showed higher midbrain tau binding than multiple system atrophy patients (SMD = 1.269). CONCLUSION Tau PET imaging indicates different topography of tau deposition between PSP patients and HCs or other neurodegenerative disorders. The affinity and selectivity of tracers for 4R-tau and the off-target binding of tracers should be considered when interpreting the results.
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Lampe L, Huppertz HJ, Anderl-Straub S, Albrecht F, Ballarini T, Bisenius S, Mueller K, Niehaus S, Fassbender K, Fliessbach K, Jahn H, Kornhuber J, Lauer M, Prudlo J, Schneider A, Synofzik M, Kassubek J, Danek A, Villringer A, Diehl-Schmid J, Otto M, Schroeter ML. Multiclass prediction of different dementia syndromes based on multi-centric volumetric MRI imaging. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 37:103320. [PMID: 36623349 PMCID: PMC9850041 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Dementia syndromes can be difficult to diagnose. We aimed at building a classifier for multiple dementia syndromes using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS Atlas-based volumetry was performed on T1-weighted MRI data of 426 patients and 51 controls from the multi-centric German Research Consortium of Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration including patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease, the three subtypes of primary progressive aphasia, i.e., semantic, logopenic and nonfluent-agrammatic variant, and the atypical parkinsonian syndromes progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal syndrome. Support vector machine classification was used to classify each patient group against controls (binary classification) and all seven diagnostic groups against each other in a multi-syndrome classifier (multiclass classification). RESULTS The binary classification models reached high prediction accuracies between 71 and 95% with a chance level of 50%. Feature importance reflected disease-specific atrophy patterns. The multi-syndrome model reached accuracies of more than three times higher than chance level but was far from 100%. Multi-syndrome model performance was not homogenous across dementia syndromes, with better performance in syndromes characterized by regionally specific atrophy patterns. Whereas diseases generally could be classified vs controls more correctly with increasing severity and duration, differentiation between diseases was optimal in disease-specific windows of severity and duration. DISCUSSION Results suggest that automated methods applied to MR imaging data can support physicians in diagnosis of dementia syndromes. It is particularly relevant for orphan diseases beside frequent syndromes such as Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonie Lampe
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Clinic Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | - Franziska Albrecht
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tommaso Ballarini
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sandrine Bisenius
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Karsten Mueller
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sebastian Niehaus
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Institute for Medical Informatics and Biometry, Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Klaus Fliessbach
- Clinic for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Bonn, and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Holger Jahn
- Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
| | - Johannes Kornhuber
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Martin Lauer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Prudlo
- Department of Neurology, University of Rostock, and DZNE, Rostock, Germany
| | - Anja Schneider
- Clinic for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Bonn, and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Goettingen, Germany
| | - Matthis Synofzik
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Centre for Neurology & Hertie-lnstitute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany & DZNE, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Jan Kassubek
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Germany
| | - Adrian Danek
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, München, Germany
| | - Arno Villringer
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Clinic Leipzig, Germany
| | - Janine Diehl-Schmid
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technical University of Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Otto
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Germany; Department of Neurology, University of Halle, Germany
| | - Matthias L Schroeter
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Clinic Leipzig, Germany.
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Sintini I, Duffy JR, Clark HM, Utianski RL, Botha H, Machulda MM, Senjem ML, Strand EA, Schwarz CG, Lowe VJ, Jack CR, Josephs KA, Whitwell JL. Functional connectivity to the premotor cortex maps onto longitudinal brain neurodegeneration in progressive apraxia of speech. Neurobiol Aging 2022; 120:105-116. [PMID: 36166918 PMCID: PMC9613616 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.08.013] [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: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Primary progressive apraxia of speech (PPAOS) is a neurodegenerative motor speech disorder affecting the ability to produce speech. If agrammatic aphasia is present, it can be referred to as the non-fluent/agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA). We investigated whether resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) connectivity from disease "epicenters" correlated with longitudinal gray matter atrophy and hypometabolism in nfvPPA and PPAOS. Eighteen nfvPPA and 23 PPAOS patients underwent clinical assessment, structural MRI, rs-fMRI, and [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET at baseline and ∼2 years follow-up. Rates of neurodegeneration in nfvPPA and PPAOS correlated with functional connectivity to the premotor, motor, and frontal cortex. Connectivity to the caudate and thalamus was more strongly associated with rates of hypometabolism than atrophy. Connectivity to the left Broca's area was more strongly associated with rates of atrophy and hypometabolism in nfvPPA. Finally, functional connectivity to a network of regions, and not to a single epicenter, correlated with rates of neurodegeneration in PPAOS and nfvPPA, suggesting similar biological mechanisms driving disease progression, with regional differences related to language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Sintini
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - Joseph R Duffy
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | | | | | - Hugo Botha
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Mary M Machulda
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Matthew L Senjem
- Department of Information Technology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Edythe A Strand
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Val J Lowe
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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Towards a Mechanistic Model of Tau-Mediated Pathology in Tauopathies: What Can We Learn from Cell-Based In Vitro Assays? Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911527. [PMID: 36232835 PMCID: PMC9570106 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the hyperphosphorylation and deposition of tau proteins in the brain. In Alzheimer’s disease, and other related tauopathies, the pattern of tau deposition follows a stereotypical progression between anatomically connected brain regions. Increasing evidence suggests that tau behaves in a “prion-like” manner, and that seeding and spreading of pathological tau drive progressive neurodegeneration. Although several advances have been made in recent years, the exact cellular and molecular mechanisms involved remain largely unknown. Since there are no effective therapies for any tauopathy, there is a growing need for reliable experimental models that would provide us with better knowledge and understanding of their etiology and identify novel molecular targets. In this review, we will summarize the development of cellular models for modeling tau pathology. We will discuss their different applications and contributions to our current understanding of the “prion-like” nature of pathological tau.
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47
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Franzmeier N, Höglinger GU. Inferring the sequence of brain volume changes in progressive supranuclear palsy using MRI. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac113. [PMID: 35602651 PMCID: PMC9118098 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This scientific commentary refers to 'A data-driven model of brain volume changes in progressive supranuclear palsy' by Scotton et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcac098).
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolai Franzmeier
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München,
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Günter U. Höglinger
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich,
Germany
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover,
Germany
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