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Seoane S, van den Heuvel M, Acebes Á, Janssen N. The subcortical default mode network and Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae128. [PMID: 38665961 PMCID: PMC11043657 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae128] [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: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The default mode network is a central cortical brain network suggested to play a major role in several disorders and to be particularly vulnerable to the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Subcortical involvement in the default mode network and its alteration in Alzheimer's disease remains largely unknown. We performed a systematic review, meta-analysis and empirical validation of the subcortical default mode network in healthy adults, combined with a systematic review, meta-analysis and network analysis of the involvement of subcortical default mode areas in Alzheimer's disease. Our results show that, besides the well-known cortical default mode network brain regions, the default mode network consistently includes subcortical regions, namely the thalamus, lobule and vermis IX and right Crus I/II of the cerebellum and the amygdala. Network analysis also suggests the involvement of the caudate nucleus. In Alzheimer's disease, we observed a left-lateralized cluster of decrease in functional connectivity which covered the medial temporal lobe and amygdala and showed overlap with the default mode network in a portion covering parts of the left anterior hippocampus and left amygdala. We also found an increase in functional connectivity in the right anterior insula. These results confirm the consistency of subcortical contributions to the default mode network in healthy adults and highlight the relevance of the subcortical default mode network alteration in Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Seoane
- Department of Complex Traits Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR), Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies (ITB), University of La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia (IUNE), University of La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
| | - Martijn van den Heuvel
- Department of Complex Traits Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR), Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Section Complex Trait Genetics, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Ángel Acebes
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies (ITB), University of La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
| | - Niels Janssen
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies (ITB), University of La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia (IUNE), University of La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
- Department of Cognitive, Social and Organizational Psychology, University of La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
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Yang Z, Kinney JW, Cordes D. Uptake of 18F-AV45 in the Putamen Provides Additional Insights into Alzheimer's Disease beyond the Cortex. Biomolecules 2024; 14:157. [PMID: 38397394 PMCID: PMC10886857 DOI: 10.3390/biom14020157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Cortical uptake in brain amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) is increasingly used for the biological diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, the clinical and biological relevance of the striatum beyond the cortex in amyloid PET scans remains unclear. A total of 513 amyloid-positive participants having 18F-AV45 amyloid PET scans available were included in the analysis. The associations between cognitive scores and striatal uptake were analyzed. The participants were categorized into three groups based on the residual from the linear fitting between 18F-AV45 uptake in the putamen and the cortex in the order of HighP > MidP > LowP group. We then examined the differences between these three groups in terms of clinical diagnosis, APOE genotype, CSF phosphorylated tau (ptau) concentration, hippocampal volume, entorhinal thickness, and cognitive decline rate to evaluate the additional insights provided by the putamen beyond the cortex. The 18F-AV45 uptake in the putamen was more strongly associated with ADAS-cog13 and MoCA scores (p < 0.001) compared to the uptake in the caudate nucleus. Despite comparable cortical uptakes, the HighP group had a two-fold higher risk of being ε4-homozygous or diagnosed with AD dementia compared to the LowP group. These three groups had significantly different CSF ptau concentration, hippocampal volume, entorhinal thickness, and cognitive decline rate. These findings suggest that the assessment of 18F-AV45 uptake in the putamen is of unique value for evaluating disease severity and predicting disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengshi Yang
- Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas, NV 89106, USA;
- Department of Brain Health, University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA;
| | - Jefferson W. Kinney
- Department of Brain Health, University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA;
- Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience, Pam Quirk Brain Health and Biomarker Laboratory, Department of Brain Health, School of Integrated Health Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Dietmar Cordes
- Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas, NV 89106, USA;
- Department of Brain Health, University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA;
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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Beach TG. A History of Senile Plaques: From Alzheimer to Amyloid Imaging. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2022; 81:387-413. [PMID: 35595841 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlac030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Senile plaques have been studied in postmortem brains for more than 120 years and the resultant knowledge has not only helped us understand the etiology and pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD), but has also pointed to possible modes of prevention and treatment. Within the last 15 years, it has become possible to image plaques in living subjects. This is arguably the single greatest advance in AD research since the identification of the Aβ peptide as the major plaque constituent. The limitations and potentialities of amyloid imaging are still not completely clear but are perhaps best glimpsed through the perspective gained from the accumulated postmortem histological studies. The basic morphological classification of plaques into neuritic, cored and diffuse has been supplemented by sophisticated immunohistochemical and biochemical analyses and increasingly detailed mapping of plaque brain distribution. Changes in plaque classification and staging have in turn contributed to changes in the definition and diagnostic criteria for AD. All of this information continues to be tested by clinicopathological correlations and it is through the insights thereby gained that we will best be able to employ the powerful tool of amyloid imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Beach
- From the Civin Laboratory for Neuropathology, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, Arizona, USA
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Shen X, Xia L, Liu L, Jiang H, Shannahan J, Du Y, Zheng W. Altered clearance of beta-amyloid from the cerebrospinal fluid following subchronic lead exposure in rats: Roles of RAGE and LRP1 in the choroid plexus. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2020; 61:126520. [PMID: 32325398 PMCID: PMC7541561 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2020.126520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2019] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Formation of amyloid plaques is the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Our early studies show that lead (Pb) exposure in PDAPP transgenic mice increases β-amyloid (Aβ) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and hippocampus, leading to the formation of amyloid plaques in mouse brain. Aβ in the CSF is regulated by the blood-CSF barrier (BCB) in the choroid plexus. However, the questions as to whether and how Pb exposure affected the influx and efflux of Aβ in BCB remained unknown. This study was conducted to investigate whether Pb exposure altered the Aβ efflux in the choroid plexus from the CSF to blood, and how Pb may affect the expression and subcellular translocation of two major Aβ transporters, i.e., the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) and the low density lipoprotein receptor protein-1 (LRP1) in the choroid plexus. Sprague-Dawley rats received daily oral gavage at doses of 0, 14 (low-dose), and 27 (high-dose) mg Pb/kg as Pb acetate, 5 d/wk, for 4 or 8 wks. At the end of Pb exposure, a solution containing Aβ40 (2.5 μg/mL) was infused to rat brain via a cannulated internal carotid artery. Subchronic Pb exposure at both dose levels significantly increased Aβ levels in the CSF and choroid plexus (p < 0.05) by ELISA. Confocal data showed that 4-wk Pb exposures prompted subcellular translocation of RAGE from the choroidal cytoplasm toward apical microvilli. Furthermore, it increased the RAGE expression in the choroid plexus by 34.1 % and 25.1 % over the controls (p < 0.05) in the low- and high- dose groups, respectfully. Subchronic Pb exposure did not significantly affect the expression of LRP1; yet the high-dose group showed LRP1 concentrated along the basal lamina. The data from the ventriculo-cisternal perfusion revealed a significantly decreased efflux of Aβ40 from the CSF to blood via the blood-CSF barrier. Incubation of freshly dissected plexus tissues with Pb in artificial CSF supported a Pb effect on increased RAGE expression. Taken together, these data suggest that Pb accumulation in the choroid plexus after subchronic exposure reduces the clearance of Aβ from the CSF to blood by the choroid plexus, which, in turn, leads to an increase of Aβ in the CSF. Interaction of Pb with RAGE and LRP1 in choroidal epithelial cells may contribute to the altered Aβ transport by the blood-CSF barrier in brain ventricles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Shen
- School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA; School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
| | - Li Xia
- School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
| | - Luqing Liu
- School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Hong Jiang
- Departments of Physiology, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao, China.
| | | | - Yansheng Du
- Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
| | - Wei Zheng
- School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
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Ishunina TA, Bogolepova IN, Swaab DF. Increased Neuronal Nuclear and Perikaryal Size in the Medial Mamillary Nucleus of Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease Patients: Relation to Nuclear Estrogen Receptor α. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2020; 47:274-280. [PMID: 31319413 DOI: 10.1159/000500244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The hypothalamic medial mamillary (MMN) and the tuberomamillary (TMN) nuclei are important hubs in memory circuits. Previous studies determining the neuronal Golgi complex size showed decreased metabolic activity of the TMN neurons in both Alzhei-mer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD), and no obvious decline in the MMN of these patients. OBJECTIVES In the present study, we aimed at determining whether other morphometric parameters that are informative about the neuronal metabolic activity are changed in the MMN of AD and VD patients and whether they can be related to the expression of the nuclear estrogen receptor α (ERα) that can mediate neurotrophic effects of estrogens in the brain. METHOD The size of neuronal nuclei and perikarya was determined in AD, VD, and nondemented control patients, in relation to the expression of the nuclear ERα. RESULTS We found that neuronal nuclear and perikaryal sizes were significantly larger in the MMN in VD than in control patients (p < 0.01). Neuronal nuclei (p < 0.05), but not perikarya were larger in AD than in control patients. Neuronal nuclei and perikarya were larger if nuclear ERα staining was present. The intensity of ERα in the neuronal nuclei was significantly correlated with both nuclear and perikaryal sizes (p < 0.007). CONCLUSIONS The human MMN shows a remarkable activation in aging and extra activation in dementias (AD and VD) that may be mediated by nuclear ERα. This makes it so far a unique brain area to study compensatory mechanisms that may prevent neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana A Ishunina
- Department of Histology, Embryology, Cytology, Kursk State Medical University, Kursk, Russian Federation, .,Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
| | - Irina N Bogolepova
- Department of Brain Research, Federal State Budget Scientific Institution "Research Center of Neurology", Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Dick F Swaab
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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St-Amour I, Turgeon A, Goupil C, Planel E, Hébert SS. Co-occurrence of mixed proteinopathies in late-stage Huntington's disease. Acta Neuropathol 2018; 135:249-265. [PMID: 29134321 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-017-1786-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence highlights the potential role of mixed proteinopathies (i.e., abnormal protein aggregation) in the development of clinical manifestations of neurodegenerative diseases (NDD). Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited NDD caused by autosomal-dominant expanded CAG trinucleotide repeat mutation in the gene coding for Huntingtin (Htt). Previous studies have suggested the coexistence of phosphorylated-Tau, α-synuclein (α-Syn) and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) inclusions in HD. However, definite evidence that HD pathology in humans can be accompanied by other proteinopathies is still lacking. Using human post-mortem putamen samples from 31 controls and 56 HD individuals, we performed biochemical analyses of the expression, oligomerization and aggregation of Tau, α-Syn, TDP-43, and Amyloid precursor protein (APP)/Aβ. In HD brain, we observed reduced soluble protein (but not mRNA) levels of Htt, α-Syn, and Tau. Our results also support abnormal phosphorylation of Tau in more advanced stages of disease. Aberrant splicing of Tau exons 2, 3 (exclusion) and 10 (inclusion) was also detected in HD patients, leading to higher 0N4R and lower 1N3R isoforms. Finally, following formic acid extraction, we observed increased aggregation of TDP-43, α-Syn, and phosphorylated-Tau during HD progression. Notably, we observed that 88% of HD patients with Vonsattel grade 4 neuropathology displayed at least one non-Htt proteinopathy compared to 29% in controls. Interestingly, α-Syn aggregation correlated with Htt, TDP-43 and phosphorylated-Tau in HD but not in controls. The impact of this work is twofold: (1) it provides compelling evidences that Tau, α-Syn and TDP-43 proteinopathies are increased in HD, and (2) it suggests the involvement of common mechanisms leading to abnormal accumulation of aggregation-prone proteins in NDD. Further studies will be needed to decipher the impact of these proteinopathies on clinical manifestation of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle St-Amour
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, CHUL, 2705 Boul. Laurier, P0-9800, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada
- Département de psychiatrie et de neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Andréanne Turgeon
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, CHUL, 2705 Boul. Laurier, P0-9800, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada
- Département de psychiatrie et de neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Claudia Goupil
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, CHUL, 2705 Boul. Laurier, P0-9800, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada
- Département de psychiatrie et de neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Emmanuel Planel
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, CHUL, 2705 Boul. Laurier, P0-9800, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada
- Département de psychiatrie et de neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Sébastien S Hébert
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, CHUL, 2705 Boul. Laurier, P0-9800, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada.
- Département de psychiatrie et de neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
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Beach TG, Sue LI, Walker DG, Sabbagh MN, Serrano G, Dugger BN, Mariner M, Yantos K, Henry-Watson J, Chiarolanza G, Hidalgo JA, Souders L. Striatal amyloid plaque density predicts Braak neurofibrillary stage and clinicopathological Alzheimer's disease: implications for amyloid imaging. J Alzheimers Dis 2012; 28:869-76. [PMID: 22112552 DOI: 10.3233/jad-2011-111340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid imaging may revolutionize Alzheimer's disease (AD) research and clinical practice but is critically limited by an inadequate correlation between cerebral cortex amyloid plaques and dementia. Also, amyloid imaging does not indicate the extent of neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) spread throughout the brain. Currently, the presence of dementia as well as a minimal brain load of both plaques and NFTs is required for the diagnosis of AD. Autopsy studies suggest that striatal amyloid plaques may be mainly restricted to subjects in higher Braak NFT stages that meet clinicopathological diagnostic criteria for AD. Striatal plaques, which are readily identified by amyloid imaging, might therefore be used to predict the presence of a higher Braak NFT stage and clinicopathological AD in living subjects. This study determined the sensitivity and specificity of striatal plaques for predicting a higher Braak NFT stage and clinicopathological AD in a postmortem series of 211 elderly subjects. Subjects included 87 clinicopathologically classified as non-demented elderly controls and 124 with AD. A higher striatal plaque density score (moderate or frequent) had 95.8% sensitivity, 75.7% specificity for Braak NFT stage V or VI and 85.6% sensitivity, 86.2% specificity for the presence of dementia and clinicopathological AD (National Institute on Aging - Reagan Institute "intermediate" or "high"). Amyloid imaging of the striatum may be useful as a predictor, in living subjects, of Braak NFT stage and the presence or absence of dementia and clinicopathological AD. Validation of this hypothesis will require autopsy studies of subjects that had amyloid imaging during life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Beach
- Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ 85351, USA.
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Ishunina TA. The α and β estrogen receptors in the human hypothalamus and basal forebrain in Alzheimer’s disease. NEUROCHEM J+ 2010. [DOI: 10.1134/s1819712410010022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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van Helmond Z, Miners JS, Kehoe PG, Love S. Higher soluble amyloid beta concentration in frontal cortex of young adults than in normal elderly or Alzheimer's disease. Brain Pathol 2010; 20:787-93. [PMID: 20175777 DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-3639.2010.00374.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the relationship between soluble amyloid beta (Abeta) and age. We have measured soluble and insoluble Abeta by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in post-mortem frontal cortex in normal brains (16-95 years) and AD. Insoluble Abeta increased with age, and was significantly higher in Alzheimer's disease (AD) than age-matched controls. However, levels of soluble Abeta declined with age and were significantly greater in younger adults than older adults with or without AD. In AD, insoluble : soluble Abeta ratio was much higher than in age-matched controls. The high levels of soluble Abeta in young adults included oligomeric species of Abeta(1-42). These observations do not preclude Abeta oligomers as neurotoxic mediators of AD but suggest that if they are, the toxicity may be restricted to certain species (eg, beta-pleated protofibrillar species not detected by our assay) or takes decades to manifest. The dramatically increased insoluble : soluble Abeta in AD points to an altered dynamic equilibrium of Abeta in AD, reflecting both enhanced aggregation and continued overproduction or impaired removal of the soluble peptide in older age, when the concentration of this peptide should be declining.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoë van Helmond
- Dementia Research Group, Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical Science at North Bristol, University of Bristol, UK
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Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in the growing population of elderly people. A hallmark of AD is the accumulation of plaques in the brain of AD patients. The plaques predominantly consist of aggregates of amyloid-beta (Abeta), a peptide of 39-42 amino acids generated in vivo by specific, proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein. There is a growing body of evidence that Abeta aggregates are ordered oligomers and the cause rather than a product of AD. The analysis of the assembly pathway of Abeta in vitro and biochemical characterization of Abeta deposits isolated from AD brains indicate that Abeta oligomerization occurs via distinct intermediates, including oligomers of 3-50 Abeta monomers, annular oligomers, protofibrils, fibrils and plaques. Of these, the most toxic species appear to be small Abeta oligomers. This article reviews the current knowledge of the mechanism of Abeta assembly in vivo and in vitro, as well as the influence of inherited amino acid replacements in Abeta and experimental conditions on Abeta aggregation. Challenges regarding the reproducible handling of the Abeta peptide for in vitro assembly studies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena H Finder
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Jellinger KA, Attems J. Does striatal pathology distinguish Parkinson disease with dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies? Acta Neuropathol 2006; 112:253-60. [PMID: 16804711 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-006-0088-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2006] [Revised: 05/17/2006] [Accepted: 05/17/2006] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The morphological differentiation of Parkinson disease with dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a matter of discussion. The objective of this study was to investigate the regional distribution of beta-amyloid (Abeta) plaques, alpha-synuclein (AS), and pathology in both disorders. The basal ganglia from 17 age-matched patients of PDD and DLB each were immunohistochemically examined with variable degrees of associated Alzheimer pathology using antibodies to Abeta, AS, and tau. DLB brains showed a significantly higher burden of (diffuse) amyloid plaques in the putamen and caudate nucleus and slightly more severe tau pathology than PDD brains despite similar neuritic Braak stages. Phases of Abeta development in DLB brains often, but inconsistently, correlated with both neuritic Braak stages and severity of striatal Abeta load, while these correlations were almost never seen in PDD cases with Alzheimer lesions. They also revealed a higher burden of AS-lesions (both Lewy neurites and Lewy bodies) than PDD cases that commonly had a paucity of all three types of lesion. The globus pallidus was virtually spared in both phenotypes. Differences in AS and Abeta pathologies and much less of tau lesions in the striatum support a morphologic distinction between PDD and DLB, which may be of pathophysiologic importance, but the causes of these differences are unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt A Jellinger
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, Kenyongasse 18, 1070 Vienna, Austria.
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Ishunina TA, van Beurden D, van der Meulen G, Unmehopa UA, Hol EM, Huitinga I, Swaab DF. Diminished aromatase immunoreactivity in the hypothalamus, but not in the basal forebrain nuclei in Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2005; 26:173-94. [PMID: 15582747 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2004.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2003] [Revised: 01/27/2004] [Accepted: 03/22/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In previous studies we have shown in Alzheimer's disease (AD) an enhanced nuclear estrogen receptor (ER) alpha expression in the cholinergic basal forebrain nuclei, i.e. the vertical limb of the diagonal band of Broca (VDB) and the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM), and in a number of hypothalamic nuclei, i.e. the supraoptic nucleus (SON), the infundibular nucleus (INF), the medial mamillary nucleus (MMN). We aimed at determining whether the increase in nuclear ERalpha seen in AD patients was related to a rise in local production of estrogens by aromatase (P-450arom), which is a key enzyme that catalyzes the biosynthesis of estrogens from precursor aromatizable androgens. We confirmed for the first time the presence of aromatase mRNA in neurons and glial cells in the human NBM and the tuberomamillary nucleus by RT-QPCR using laser microdissection. Enhanced aromatase immunoreactivity (ir) was indeed observed in the NBM in AD. However, in contrast a decreased aromatase-ir was found in the SON, INF and MMN of AD patients. In addition, P-450arom-ir was clearly diminished in ependymal and choroid plexus cells in AD. While an increase in aromatase-ir was found in the NBM and SON during normal aging, a decrease in staining was observed in the MMN. No sex differences in young control, elderly control or AD patients were present in any of the nuclei studied. In conclusion, brain P-450arom-ir and the relationship of its regulation with plasma sex steroid levels, estrogen and androgen receptors in the human hypothalamus and basal forebrain are region-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana A Ishunina
- Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Meibergdreef 33, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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13
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Huang X, Atwood CS, Moir RD, Hartshorn MA, Tanzi RE, Bush AI. Trace metal contamination initiates the apparent auto-aggregation, amyloidosis, and oligomerization of Alzheimer's Abeta peptides. J Biol Inorg Chem 2004; 9:954-60. [PMID: 15578276 DOI: 10.1007/s00775-004-0602-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 187] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2004] [Accepted: 09/17/2004] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Nucleation-dependent protein aggregation ("seeding") and amyloid fibril-free formation of soluble SDS-resistant oligomers ("oligomerization") by hydrophobic interaction is an in vitro model thought to propagate beta-amyloid (Abeta) deposition, accumulation, and incur neurotoxicity and synaptotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and other amyloid-associated neurodegenerative diseases. However, Abeta is a high-affinity metalloprotein that aggregates in the presence of biometals (zinc, copper, and iron), and neocortical Abeta deposition is abolished by genetic ablation of synaptic zinc in transgenic mice. We now present in vitro evidence that trace (<or=0.8 microM) levels of zinc, copper, and iron, present as common contaminants of laboratory buffers and culture media, are the actual initiators of the classic Abeta1-42-mediated seeding process and Abeta oligomerization. Replicating the experimental conditions of earlier workers, we found that the in vitro precipitation and amyloidosis of Abeta1-40 (20 microM) initiated by Abeta1-42 (2 microM) were abolished by chelation of trace metal contaminants. Further, metal chelation attenuated formation of soluble Abeta oligomers from a cell-free culture medium. These data suggest that protein self-assembly and oligomerization are not spontaneous in this system as previously thought, and that there may be an obligatory role for metal ions in initiating Abeta amyloidosis and oligomerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xudong Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, and Laboratory for Oxidation Biology, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114, USA.
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Ishunina TA, Kamphorst W, Swaab DF. Changes in metabolic activity and estrogen receptors in the human medial mamillary nucleus: relation to sex, aging and Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2003; 24:817-28. [PMID: 12927764 DOI: 10.1016/s0197-4580(03)00009-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The medial mamillary nucleus (MMN) is situated caudally in the human hypothalamus and is involved in memory processes. In search for putative sites of action in estrogen replacement therapy on memory both in aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD), we aimed at determining whether changes would occur in estrogen receptors (ER) or metabolic activity in the MMN neurons under these conditions in a sex-dependent way. The Golgi apparatus (GA) and cell size, that were previously shown to be good measures of changes in neuronal metabolic activity, were measured in the MMN of 10 young (20-50 years old), 11 elderly (56-76 years old) control men and women and 11 AD patients (54-78 years old). In addition, we investigated whether estrogen receptor alpha or beta (ERalpha or ERbeta) immunoreactivity was altered in the MMN in aging or AD. There were no sex- or AD-related differences in the GA or cell size in the MMN. Both the GA and cell size of the MMN neurons were found to be increased in postmenopausal compared to young control women accompanied by a decrease in the amount of nuclear ERbeta. The percentage of nuclear ERalpha-positive MMN neurons was markedly enhanced in AD patients compared to controls and most prominently in AD men. In AD patients the proportion of nuclear ERalpha-positive neurons was positively correlated to the Braak stages that indicate the progression of the disease. No differences in the proportion of ERbeta-positive neurons were observed between AD and control patients. We propose that estrogens play an inhibitory role with respect to the metabolic activity of human MMN, which is mediated via ERbeta. This inhibitory effect is diminished in postmenopausal women. The role of the enhanced nuclear ERalpha staining in AD, that was also found in other brain areas, remains to be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana A Ishunina
- Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Meibergdreef 33, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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15
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Sawamura N, Morishima-Kawashima M, Waki H, Kobayashi K, Kuramochi T, Frosch MP, Ding K, Ito M, Kim TW, Tanzi RE, Oyama F, Tabira T, Ando S, Ihara Y. Mutant presenilin 2 transgenic mice. A large increase in the levels of Abeta 42 is presumably associated with the low density membrane domain that contains decreased levels of glycerophospholipids and sphingomyelin. J Biol Chem 2000; 275:27901-8. [PMID: 10846187 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m004308200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The N141I mutation in presenilin (PS) 2 is tightly linked with a form of autosomal dominant familial Alzheimer's disease in the Volga German families. We previously reported that mouse brains harboring mutant PS2 contained increased levels of amyloid beta protein (Abeta) 42 in the Tris-saline-soluble fraction (Oyama, F., Sawamura, N., Kobayashi, K., Morishima-Kawashima, M., Kuramochi, T., Ito, M., Tomita, T., Maruyama, K., Saido, T. C., Iwatsubo, T., Capell, A., Walter, J., Grünberg, J., Ueyama, Y., Haass, C. and Ihara, Y. (1998) J. Neurochem. 71, 313-322). Here, using a new extraction protocol, we quantitated the Abeta40 and Abeta42 levels in the Tris-saline-insoluble fraction. The insoluble Abeta levels were found to be higher than the soluble Abeta levels, and the insoluble Abeta42 levels were markedly increased in mutant PS2 transgenic mice. To investigate the origin of the insoluble Abeta42, we prepared the detergent-insoluble, low density membrane fraction. This fraction from two independent lines of mutant PS2 transgenic mice contained remarkably increased levels of Abeta42 and significantly low levels of glycerophospholipids and sphingomyelin. This unexpected finding suggests that a large increase in the levels of Abeta42 in mutant PS2 mice is presumably induced through alterations of the lipid composition in the low density membrane domain in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Sawamura
- Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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16
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Roher AE, Baudry J, Chaney MO, Kuo YM, Stine WB, Emmerling MR. Oligomerizaiton and fibril asssembly of the amyloid-beta protein. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2000; 1502:31-43. [PMID: 10899429 DOI: 10.1016/s0925-4439(00)00030-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In this chapter, we attempt to analyze the evolution of the amyloid-beta (Abeta) molecular structure from its inception as part of the Abeta precursor protein to its release by the secretases and its extrusion from membrane into an aqueous environment. Biophysical studies suggest that the Abeta peptide sustains a series of transitions from a molecule rich in alpha-helix to a molecule in which beta-strands prevail. It is proposed that initially the extended C-termini of two opposing Abeta dimers form an antiparallel beta-sheet and that the subsequent addition of dimers generates a helical Abeta protofilament. Two or more protofilaments create a strand in which the hydrophobic core of the beta-sheets is shielded from the aqueous environment by the N-terminal polar domains of the Abeta dimers. Once the nucleation has occurred, the Abeta filament grows in length by the addition of dimers or tetramers.
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Affiliation(s)
- A E Roher
- Haldeman Laboratory for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ 85351, USA.
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17
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McLean CA, Cherny RA, Fraser FW, Fuller SJ, Smith MJ, Beyreuther K, Bush AI, Masters CL. Soluble pool of Abeta amyloid as a determinant of severity of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Ann Neurol 1999; 46:860-6. [PMID: 10589538 DOI: 10.1002/1531-8249(199912)46:6<860::aid-ana8>3.0.co;2-m] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1375] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Genetic evidence strongly supports the view that Abeta amyloid production is central to the cause of Alzheimer's disease. The kinetics, compartmentation, and form of Abeta and its temporal relation to the neurodegenerative process remain uncertain. The levels of soluble and insoluble Abeta were determined by using western blot techniques, and the findings were assessed in relation to indices of severity of disease. The mean level of soluble Abeta is increased threefold in Alzheimer's disease and correlates highly with markers of disease severity. In contrast, the level of insoluble Abeta (also a measure of total amyloid load) is found only to discriminate Alzheimer's disease from controls, and does not correlate with disease severity or numbers of amyloid plaques. These findings support the concept of several interacting pools of Abeta, that is, a large relatively static insoluble pool that is derived from a constantly turning over smaller soluble pool. The latter may exist in both intracellular and extracellular compartments, and contain the basic forms of Abeta that cause neurodegeneration. Reducing the levels of these soluble Abeta species by threefold to levels found in normal controls might prove to be a goal of future therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A McLean
- Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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18
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Enya M, Morishima-Kawashima M, Yoshimura M, Shinkai Y, Kusui K, Khan K, Games D, Schenk D, Sugihara S, Yamaguchi H, Ihara Y. Appearance of sodium dodecyl sulfate-stable amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) dimer in the cortex during aging. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 1999; 154:271-9. [PMID: 9916941 PMCID: PMC1853431 DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9440(10)65273-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/12/1998] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We previously noted that some aged human cortical specimens containing very low or negligible levels of amyloid beta-protein (As) by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) provided prominent signals at 6 approximately 8 kd on the Western blot, probably representing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-stable Abeta dimer. Re-examination of the specificity of the EIA revealed that BAN50- and BNT77-based EIA, most commonly used for the quantitation of Abeta, capture SDS-dissociable Abeta but not SDS-stable Abeta dimer. Thus, all cortical specimens in which the levels of Abeta were below the detection limits of EIA were subjected to Western blot analysis. A fraction of such specimens contained SDS-stable dimer at 6 approximately 8 kd, but not SDS-dissociable A(beta) monomer at approximately 4 kd, as judged from the blot. This A(beta) dimer is unlikely to be generated after death, because (i) specimens with very short postmortem delay contained the A(beta) dimer, and (ii) until 12 hours postmortem, such SDS-stable A(beta) dimer is detected only faintly in PDAPP transgenic mice. The presence of A(beta) dimer in the cortex may characterize the accumulation of A(beta) in the human brain, which takes much longer than that in PDAPP transgenic mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Enya
- Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan
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