Study protocol: Insight 46 - a neuroscience sub-study of the MRC National Survey of Health and Development

Quantification of baseline amyloid PET in individuals with subjective cognitive decline can identify risk of amyloid accumulation and cognitive worsening: the FACEHBI study

PURPOSE

Amyloid PET imaging is capable of measuring brain amyloid load in vivo. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship of the baseline amyloid with its accumulation over time and with cognition in individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), giving a focus on those below Aβ positivity thresholds.

METHODS

118 of 197 individuals with SCD from the Fundació ACE Healthy Brain Initiative underwent three [18F]florbetaben scans and the remaining 79 underwent two scans in a 5-year span. Individuals were categorised based on baseline Centiloid values (CL) into amyloid positive (Aβ+; CL > 35.7), Grey Zone (GZ; 20 < CL ≤ 35.7), and amyloid negative (Aβ-; CL ≤ 20). Relationship between conversion to mild cognitive decline (MCI) and baseline amyloid levels was assessed. Then, to focus on sub-threshold individuals with amyloid accumulation, the Aβ- group was split into two groups (N1 (CL ≤ 13.5) and N2 (13.5 < CL ≤ 20)), Aβ accumulation was determined, and a parametric image analysis of the Aβ accumulators in the N1 group was performed.

RESULTS

At baseline, 20 individuals were Aβ+, 8 GZ, 160 N1, and 9 N2. Higher Aβ load, older and less educated individuals presented increased risk of MCI-conversion. Longitudinally, 19% of N1 individuals were accumulators despite very low Aβ burden at baseline. Meanwhile, 89% of the N2 group accumulated Aβ as well as all GZ individuals (which had the highest rate of amyloid accumulation, 5.1 CL/year). In the parametric image analysis of N1 accumulators, a region within the precuneus was linked to increased Aβ over time.

CONCLUSION

Baseline amyloid levels differentiate individuals who accumulate amyloid over time and that are at risk for cognitive decline, including those at sub-threshold levels of Aβ. This can be valuable to identify pre-clinical AD in a SCD population.

Associations between accelerated forgetting, amyloid deposition and brain atrophy in older adults

Accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF) is the phenomenon whereby material is retained normally over short intervals (e.g. minutes) but forgotten abnormally rapidly over longer periods (days or weeks). ALF might be an early marker of cognitive decline, but little is known about its relationships with preclinical Alzheimer's disease pathology and how memory selectivity might influence which material is forgotten. We assessed ALF in 'Insight 46', a sub-study of the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (a population-based cohort born during the same week in 1946) (n = 429; 47% female; assessed at age ∼73 years). ALF assessment comprised visual and verbal memory tests: complex figure drawing and the face-name associative memory exam (FNAME). ALF scores were calculated as the percentage of material retained after 7 days, relative to 30 min. In 306 cognitively normal participants, we investigated effects on ALF of β-amyloid pathology (quantified using 18F-Florbetapir-PET, classified as positive/negative) and whole-brain and hippocampal atrophy rate (quantified from serial T1-MRI over ∼2.4 years preceding the ALF assessment), in addition to interactions between these pathologies. We categorized complex figure drawing items as 'outline' or 'detail', to test our hypothesis that forgetting the outline of the structure would be more sensitive to the effect of brain pathologies. We also investigated associations between ALF and subjective cognitive decline, measured with the MyCog questionnaire. Complex figure 'outline' items were better retained than 'detail' items (mean retention over 7 days = 94% versus 72%). Amyloid-positive participants showed greater forgetting of the complex figure outline compared with amyloid-negative participants (90% versus 95%; P < 0.01). There were interactions between amyloid pathology and cerebral atrophy, such that whole-brain and hippocampal atrophy predicted greater ALF on complex figure drawing among amyloid-positive participants only [e.g. 1.9 percentage-points lower retention per ml/year of whole-brain atrophy (95% confidence intervals 0.5, 3.7); P < 0.05]. Greater ALF on FNAME was associated with increased rate of hippocampal atrophy. ALF on complex figure drawing was also correlated with subjective cognitive decline [-0.45 percentage-points per MyCog point (-0.85, -0.05); P < 0.05]. These results provide evidence of associations between some measures of ALF and biomarkers of brain pathologies and subjective cognitive decline in cognitively normal older adults. On complex figure drawing, 'outline' items were better remembered than 'detail' items, illustrating the strategic role of memory selectivity, but 'outline' items were also relatively more vulnerable to ALF in individuals with amyloid pathology. Overall, our findings suggest that ALF might be a sensitive marker of cognitive changes in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

Associations of life-course cardiovascular risk factors with late-life cerebral hemodynamics

While the associations of mid-life cardiovascular risk factors with late-life white matter lesions (WMH) and cognitive decline have been established, the role of cerebral haemodynamics is unclear. We investigated the relation of late-life (69-71 years) arterial spin labelling (ASL) MRI-derived cerebral blood flow (CBF) with life-course cardiovascular risk factors (36-71 years) and late-life white matter hyperintensity (WMH) load in 282 cognitively healthy participants (52.8% female). Late-life (69-71 years) high systolic (B = -0.15) and diastolic (B = -0.25) blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure (B = -0.25) were associated with low grey matter (GM) CBF (p < 0.03), and white matter CBF (B = -0.25; B = -0.15; B = -0.13, p < 0.03, respectively). The association between systolic blood pressure and GM CBF differed between sexes (male/female B = -0.15/0.02, p = 0.04). No associations were found with early- or mid-life cardiovascular risk factors. Furthermore, WMHs were associated with cerebral haemodynamics but not cardiovascular risk factors. These findings suggest that cerebral blood flow autoregulation is able to maintain stable global cerebral haemodynamics until later in life. Future studies are encouraged to investigate why cardiovascular risk factors have differential effects on haemodynamics and WMH, and their implications for cognitive decline.

Remote cognitive tests predict neurodegenerative biomarkers in the Insight 46 cohort

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer's disease-related biomarkers detect pathology years before symptoms emerge, when disease-modifying therapies might be most beneficial. Remote cognitive testing provides a means of assessing early cognitive changes. We explored the relationship between neurodegenerative biomarkers and cognition in cognitively normal individuals.

METHODS

We remotely deployed 13 computerized Cognitron tasks in 255 Insight 46 participants. We generated amyloid load and positivity, white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), whole brain and hippocampal volumes at age 73, plus rates of change over 2 years. We examined the relationship between Cognitron, biomarkers, and standard neuropsychological tests.

RESULTS

Slower response time on a delayed recognition task predicted amyloid positivity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.79, confidence interval [CI]: 1.15, 2.95), and WMHV (1.23, CI: 1.00, 1.56). Brain and hippocampal atrophy rates correlated with poorer visuospatial performance (b = -0.42, CI: -0.80, -0.05) and accuracy on immediate recognition (b = -0.01, CI: -0.012, -0.001), respectively. Standard tests correlated with Cognitron composites (rho = 0.50, p < 0.001).

DISCUSSION

Remote computerized testing correlates with standard supervised assessments and holds potential for studying early cognitive changes associated with neurodegeneration.

HIGHLIGHTS

70% of the Online 46 cohort performed a set of remote online cognitive tasks. Response time and accuracy on a memory task predicted amyloid status and load (SUVR). Accuracy on memory and spatial span tasks correlated with longitudinal atrophy rate. The Cognitron tasks correlated with standard supervised cognitive tests. Online cognitive testing can help identify early AD-related memory deficits.

The relationship between leisure time physical activity patterns, Alzheimer's disease markers and cognition

We assessed the association between leisure time physical activity patterns across 30 years of adulthood with a range of in vivo Alzheimer's disease-related neurodegenerative markers and cognition, and their interplay, at age 70. Participants from the 1946 British birth cohort study prospectively reported leisure time physical activity five times between ages 36 and 69 and were dichotomized into (i) not active (no participation/month) and (ii) active (participated once or more/month) and further derived into: (0) never active (not active); (1) active before 50's only (≤43 years); (2) active from 50's onwards only (≥53 years); (3) always active (active throughout). Participants underwent 18F-florbetapir Aβ and magnetic resonance imaging at age 70. Regression analyses were conducted to assess the direct and the moderating relationship between leisure time physical activity metrics, Alzheimer's disease-related neurodegeneration markers (including Aβ status, hippocampal and whole-brain volume, and cortical thickness in Alzheimer's disease signature regions) and cognition. All models were adjusted for childhood cognition, education and childhood socioeconomic position, and examined by sex. Findings drawn from 468 participants (49% female) demonstrated a direct association between being active before 50 years old (≤43 years) and throughout life (up to age 69 years), with larger hippocampal volume at age 70 (P < 0.05). There was little evidence that leisure time physical activity had direct effects on other brain health measures (all P > 0.05). However, leisure time physical activity patterns modified and attenuated the association between poorer cognitive functioning at age 70 and a range of Alzheimer's disease-related neurodegenerative markers (Aβ status; hippocampal and whole-brain volume; cortical thickness in Alzheimer's disease regions) (all P < 0.05). We found suggestive evidence that women with early markers of Alzheimer's disease-related neurodegeneration were most sensitive to leisure time physical activity patterns: a lifetime of inactivity in women exacerbated the manifestation of early Alzheimer's disease markers (Aβ and cortical thickness-related cognition), yet, if women were active across life or early in life, it mostly buffered these negative relationships. Engagement in leisure time physical activity in the life course is associated with better cognitive functioning at age 70, even in those with early markers of Alzheimer's disease. If causal, this is likely via multiple pathways, potentially through the preservation of hippocampal volume, as well as via cognitive resilience pathways delaying cognitive manifestations of early markers of Alzheimer's disease, particularly in women. Our findings warrant further research to shed light on the mechanisms of physical activity as a potential disease-modifying intervention of brain health and cognitive resilience.

Immunosenescence: A new direction in anti-aging research

The immune system is a major regulatory system of the body, that is composed of immune cells, immune organs, and related signaling factors. As an organism ages, observable age-related changes in the function of the immune system accumulate in a process described as 'immune aging. Research has shown that the impact of aging on immunity is detrimental, with various dysregulated responses that affect the function of immune cells at the cellular level. For example, increased aging has been shown to result in the abnormal chemotaxis of neutrophils and decreased phagocytosis of macrophages. Age-related diminished functionality of immune cell types has direct effects on host fitness, leading to poorer responses to vaccination, more inflammation and tissue damage, as well as autoimmune disorders and the inability to control infections. Similarly, age impacts the function of the immune system at the organ level, resulting in decreased hematopoietic function in the bone marrow, a gradual deficiency of catalase in the thymus, and thymic atrophy, resulting in reduced production of related immune cells such as B cells and T cells, further increasing the risk of autoimmune disorders in the elderly. As the immune function of the body weakens, aging cells and inflammatory factors cannot be cleared, resulting in a cycle of increased inflammation that accumulates over time. Cumulatively, the consequences of immune aging increase the likelihood of developing age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, and osteoporosis, among others. Therefore, targeting the age-related changes that occur within cells of the immune system might be an effective anti-aging strategy. In this article, we summarize the relevant literature on immune aging research, focusing on its impact on aging, in hopes of providing new directions for anti-aging research.

Sensitivity-Aware Density Estimation in Multiple Dimensions

We formulate an optimization problem to estimate probability densities in the context of multidimensional problems that are sampled with uneven probability. It considers detector sensitivity as an heterogeneous density and takes advantage of the computational speed and flexible boundary conditions offered by splines on a grid. We choose to regularize the Hessian of the spline via the nuclear norm to promote sparsity. As a result, the method is spatially adaptive and stable against the choice of the regularization parameter, which plays the role of the bandwidth. We test our computational pipeline on standard densities and provide software. We also present a new approach to PET rebinning as an application of our framework.

Sex-Dependent Effects of Cardiometabolic Health and APOE4 on Brain Age: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The aging population is growing faster than all other demographic strata. With older age comes a greater risk of health conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure (BP). These cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRs) exhibit prominent sex differences in midlife and aging, yet their influence on brain health in females vs males is largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated sex differences in relationships between BP, body mass index (BMI), and brain age over time and tested for interactions with APOE ε4 genotype (APOE4), a known genetic risk factor of Alzheimer disease.

METHODS

The sample included participants from 2 United Kingdom-based longitudinal birth cohorts, the Lothian Birth Cohort (1936) and Insight 46 (1946). Participants with MRI data from at least 1 time point were included to evaluate sex differences in associations between CMRs and brain age. The open-access software package brainageR 2.1 was used to estimate brain age for each participant. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the relationships between brain age, BMI, BP, and APOE4 status (i.e., carrier vs noncarrier) in males and females over time.

RESULTS

The combined sample comprised 1,120 participants (48% female) with a mean age (SD) of 73 (0.72) years in the Lothian Birth Cohort and 71 (0.68) years in Insight 46 at the time point 1 assessment. Approximately 30% of participants were APOE4 carriers. Higher systolic and diastolic BP was significantly associated with older brain age in females only (β = 0.43-0.56, p < 0.05). Among males, higher BMI was associated with older brain age across time points and APOE4 groups (β = 0.72-0.77, p < 0.05). In females, higher BMI was linked to older brain age among APOE4 noncarriers (β = 0.68-0.99, p < 0.05), whereas higher BMI was linked to younger brain age among carriers, particularly at the last time point (β = -1.75, p < 0.05).

DISCUSSION

This study indicates sex-dependent and time-dependent relationships between CMRs, APOE4 status, and brain age. Our findings highlight the necessity of sex-stratified analyses to elucidate the role of CMRs in individual aging trajectories, providing a basis for developing personalized preventive interventions.

Peripheral hearing loss at age 70 predicts brain atrophy and associated cognitive change

BACKGROUND

Hearing loss has been proposed as a modifiable risk factor for dementia. However, the relationship between hearing, neurodegeneration, and cognitive change, and the extent to which pathological processes such as Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular disease influence these relationships, is unclear.

METHODS

Data from 287 adults born in the same week of 1946 who underwent baseline pure tone audiometry (mean age=70.6 years) and two time point cognitive assessment/multimodal brain imaging (mean interval 2.4 years) were analysed. Hearing impairment at baseline was defined as a pure tone average of greater than 25 decibels in the best hearing ear. Rates of change for whole brain, hippocampal and ventricle volume were estimated from structural MRI using the Boundary Shift Integral. Cognition was assessed using the Pre-clinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite. Regression models were performed to evaluate how baseline hearing impairment associated with subsequent brain atrophy and cognitive decline after adjustment for a range of confounders including baseline β-amyloid deposition and white matter hyperintensity volume.

RESULTS

111 out of 287 participants had hearing impairment. Compared with those with preserved hearing, hearing impaired individuals had faster rates of whole brain atrophy, and worse hearing (higher pure tone average) predicted faster rates of hippocampal atrophy. In participants with hearing impairment, faster rates of whole brain atrophy predicted greater cognitive change. All observed relationships were independent of β-amyloid deposition and white matter hyperintensity volume.

CONCLUSIONS

Hearing loss may influence dementia risk via pathways distinct from those typically implicated in Alzheimer's and cerebrovascular disease in cognitively unimpaired older adults.

Rates of cortical thinning in Alzheimer's disease signature regions associate with vascular burden but not with β-amyloid status in cognitively normal adults at age 70

BACKGROUND

Consistent patterns of reduced cortical thickness have been identified in early Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the pathological factors that influence rates of cortical thinning within these AD signature regions remain unclear.

METHODS

Participants were from the Insight 46 substudy of the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD; 1946 British birth cohort), a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Linear regression was used to examine associations of baseline cerebral β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition, measured using florbetapir positron emission tomography, and baseline white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) on MRI, a marker of cerebral small vessel disease, with subsequent longitudinal changes in AD signature cortical thickness quantified from baseline and repeat MRI (mean [SD] interval 2.4 [0.2] years).

RESULTS

In a population-based sample of 337 cognitively normal older white adults (mean [SD] age at baseline 70.5 [0.6] years; 48.1% female), higher global WMHV at baseline related to faster subsequent rates of cortical thinning in both AD signature regions (~0.15%/year faster per 10 mL additional WMHV), whereas baseline Aβ status did not. Among Aβ positive participants (n=56), there was some evidence that greater global Aβ standardised uptake value ratio at baseline related to faster cortical thinning in the AD signature Mayo region, but this did not reach statistical significance (p=0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

Cortical thinning within AD signature regions may develop via cerebrovascular pathways. Perhaps reflecting the age of the cohort and relatively low prevalence of Aβ-positivity, robust Aβ-related differences were not detected. Longitudinal follow-up incorporating additional biomarkers will allow assessment of how these relationships evolve closer to expected dementia onset.

Updating the study protocol: Insight 46 - a longitudinal neuroscience sub-study of the MRC National Survey of Health and Development - phases 2 and 3

BACKGROUND

Although age is the biggest known risk factor for dementia, there remains uncertainty about other factors over the life course that contribute to a person's risk for cognitive decline later in life. Furthermore, the pathological processes leading to dementia are not fully understood. The main goals of Insight 46-a multi-phase longitudinal observational study-are to collect detailed cognitive, neurological, physical, cardiovascular, and sensory data; to combine those data with genetic and life-course information collected from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD; 1946 British birth cohort); and thereby contribute to a better understanding of healthy ageing and dementia.

METHODS/DESIGN

Phase 1 of Insight 46 (2015-2018) involved the recruitment of 502 members of the NSHD (median age = 70.7 years; 49% female) and has been described in detail by Lane and Parker et al. 2017. The present paper describes phase 2 (2018-2021) and phase 3 (2021-ongoing). Of the 502 phase 1 study members who were invited to a phase 2 research visit, 413 were willing to return for a clinic visit in London and 29 participated in a remote research assessment due to COVID-19 restrictions. Phase 3 aims to recruit 250 study members who previously participated in both phases 1 and 2 of Insight 46 (providing a third data time point) and 500 additional members of the NSHD who have not previously participated in Insight 46.

DISCUSSION

The NSHD is the oldest and longest continuously running British birth cohort. Members of the NSHD are now at a critical point in their lives for us to investigate successful ageing and key age-related brain morbidities. Data collected from Insight 46 have the potential to greatly contribute to and impact the field of healthy ageing and dementia by combining unique life course data with longitudinal multiparametric clinical, imaging, and biomarker measurements. Further protocol enhancements are planned, including in-home sleep measurements and the engagement of participants through remote online cognitive testing. Data collected are and will continue to be made available to the scientific community.

Evaluation of novel data-driven metrics of amyloid β deposition for longitudinal PET studies

PURPOSE

Positron emission tomography (PET) provides in vivo quantification of amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology. Established methods for assessing Aβ burden can be affected by physiological and technical factors. Novel, data-driven metrics have been developed to account for these sources of variability. We aimed to evaluate the performance of four of these amyloid PET metrics against conventional techniques, using a common set of criteria.

METHODS

Three cohorts were used for evaluation: Insight 46 (N=464, [18F]florbetapir), AIBL (N=277, [18F]flutemetamol), and an independent test-retest data (N=10, [18F]flutemetamol). Established metrics of amyloid tracer uptake included the Centiloid (CL) and where dynamic data was available, the non-displaceable binding potential (BPND). The four data-driven metrics computed were the amyloid load (Aβ load), the Aβ-PET pathology accumulation index (Aβ index), the Centiloid derived from non-negative matrix factorisation (CLNMF), and the amyloid pattern similarity score (AMPSS). These metrics were evaluated using reliability and repeatability in test-retest data, associations with BPND and CL, variability of the rate of change and sample size estimates to detect a 25% slowing in Aβ accumulation.

RESULTS

All metrics showed good reliability. Aβ load, Aβ index and CLNMF were strong associated with the BPND. The associations with CL suggest that cross-sectional measures of CLNMF, Aβ index and Aβ load are robust across studies. Sample size estimates for secondary prevention trial scenarios were the lowest for CLNMF and Aβ load compared to the CL.

CONCLUSION

Among the novel data-driven metrics evaluated, the Aβ load, the Aβ index and the CLNMF can provide comparable performance to more established quantification methods of Aβ PET tracer uptake. The CLNMF and Aβ load could offer a more precise alternative to CL, although further studies in larger cohorts should be conducted.

Guided block matching and 4-D transform domain filter projection denoising method for dynamic PET image reconstruction

PURPOSE

Dynamic PET is an essential tool in oncology due to its ability to visualize and quantify radiotracer uptake, which has the potential to improve imaging quality. However, image noise caused by a low photon count in dynamic PET is more significant than in static PET. This study aims to develop a novel denoising method, namely the Guided Block Matching and 4-D Transform Domain Filter (GBM4D) projection, to enhance dynamic PET image reconstruction.

METHODS

The sinogram was first transformed using the Anscombe method, then denoised using a combination of hard thresholding and Wiener filtering. Each denoising step involved guided block matching and grouping, collaborative filtering, and weighted averaging. The guided block matching was performed on accumulated PET sinograms to prevent mismatching due to low photon counts. The performance of the proposed denoising method (GBM4D) was compared to other methods such as wavelet, total variation, non-local means, and BM3D using computer simulations on the Shepp-Logan and digital brain phantoms. The denoising methods were also applied to real patient data for evaluation.

RESULTS

In all phantom studies, GBM4D outperformed other denoising methods in all time frames based on the structural similarity and peak signal-to-noise ratio. Moreover, GBM4D yielded the lowest root mean square error in the time-activity curve of all tissues and produced the highest image quality when applied to real patient data.

CONCLUSION

GBM4D demonstrates excellent denoising and edge-preserving capabilities, as validated through qualitative and quantitative assessments of both temporal and spatial denoising performance.

Hypertension and small vessel disease: do the drugs work?

Associations of hypertension with ischaemic stroke and intracerebral haemorrhage, particularly when attributed to cerebral small vessel disease, are well established. While it seems plausible that treating hypertension should prevent small vessel disease from developing or progressing, there is limited evidence demonstrating this. This article critically appraises the evidence answering this clinical question. Hypertension is also closely associated with chronic kidney disease, with anatomical and functional similarities between the vasculature of the brain and kidneys leading to the hypothesis that shared multi-system pathophysiological processes may be involved. Therefore, the article also summarises data on prevention of progression of chronic kidney disease. Evidence supports a target blood pressure of <130/80 mmHg to optimally prevent progression of both small vessel disease and chronic kidney disease. However, future studies are needed to determine long-term effects of more intensive blood pressure treatment targets on small vessel disease progression and incident dementia.

Neuroimaging, clinical and life course correlates of normal-appearing white matter integrity in 70-year-olds

We investigate associations between normal-appearing white matter microstructural integrity in cognitively normal ∼70-year-olds and concurrently measured brain health and cognition, demographics, genetics and life course cardiovascular health. Participants born in the same week in March 1946 (British 1946 birth cohort) underwent PET-MRI around age 70. Mean standardized normal-appearing white matter integrity metrics (fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, neurite density index and orientation dispersion index) were derived from diffusion MRI. Linear regression was used to test associations between normal-appearing white matter metrics and (i) concurrent measures, including whole brain volume, white matter hyperintensity volume, PET amyloid and cognition; (ii) the influence of demographic and genetic predictors, including sex, childhood cognition, education, socio-economic position and genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease (APOE-ɛ4); (iii) systolic and diastolic blood pressure and cardiovascular health (Framingham Heart Study Cardiovascular Risk Score) across adulthood. Sex interactions were tested. Statistical significance included false discovery rate correction (5%). Three hundred and sixty-two participants met inclusion criteria (mean age 70, 49% female). Higher white matter hyperintensity volume was associated with lower fractional anisotropy [b = -0.09 (95% confidence interval: -0.11, -0.06), P < 0.01], neurite density index [b = -0.17 (-0.22, -0.12), P < 0.01] and higher mean diffusivity [b = 0.14 (-0.10, -0.17), P < 0.01]; amyloid (in men) was associated with lower fractional anisotropy [b = -0.04 (-0.08, -0.01), P = 0.03)] and higher mean diffusivity [b = 0.06 (0.01, 0.11), P = 0.02]. Framingham Heart Study Cardiovascular Risk Score in later-life (age 69) was associated with normal-appearing white matter {lower fractional anisotropy [b = -0.06 (-0.09, -0.02) P < 0.01], neurite density index [b = -0.10 (-0.17, -0.03), P < 0.01] and higher mean diffusivity [b = 0.09 (0.04, 0.14), P < 0.01]}. Significant sex interactions (P < 0.05) emerged for midlife cardiovascular health (age 53) and normal-appearing white matter at 70: marginal effect plots demonstrated, in women only, normal-appearing white matter was associated with higher midlife Framingham Heart Study Cardiovascular Risk Score (lower fractional anisotropy and neurite density index), midlife systolic (lower fractional anisotropy, neurite density index and higher mean diffusivity) and diastolic (lower fractional anisotropy and neurite density index) blood pressure and greater blood pressure change between 43 and 53 years (lower fractional anisotropy and neurite density index), independently of white matter hyperintensity volume. In summary, poorer normal-appearing white matter microstructural integrity in ∼70-year-olds was associated with measures of cerebral small vessel disease, amyloid (in males) and later-life cardiovascular health, demonstrating how normal-appearing white matter can provide additional information to overt white matter disease. Our findings further show that greater 'midlife' cardiovascular risk and higher blood pressure were associated with poorer normal-appearing white matter microstructural integrity in females only, suggesting that women's brains may be more susceptible to the effects of midlife blood pressure and cardiovascular health.

Immunosenescence as a convergence pathway in neurodegeneration

Immunity refers to the body's defense mechanism to protect itself against illness or to produce antibodies against pathogens. Senescence is a cellular phenomenon that integrates a sustainable growth restriction, other phenotypic abnormalities and including a pro-inflammatory secretome. It is highly involved in regulating developmental stages, tissue homeostasis, and tumor proliferation monitoring. Contemporary experimental reports imply that abolition of senescent cells employing evolved genetic and therapeutic approaches augment the chances of survival and boosts the health span of an individual. Immunosenescence is considered as a process in which dysfunction of the immune system occurs with aging and greatly includes remodeling of lymphoid organs. This in turn causes fluctuations in the immune function of the elderly that has strict relation with the expansion of autoimmune diseases, infections, malignant tumors and neurodegenerative disorders. The interaction of the nervous and immune systems during aging is marked by bi-directional influence and mutual correlation of variations. The enhanced systemic inflammatory condition in the elderly, and the neuronal immune cell activity can be modulated by inflamm-aging and peripheral immunosenescence resulting in chronic low-grade inflammatory processes in the central Nervous system known as neuro-inflammaging. For example, glia excitation by cytokines and glia pro-inflammatory productions contribute significantly to memory injury as well as in acute systemic inflammation, which is associated with high levels of Tumor necrosis factor -α and a rise in cognitive decline. In recent years its role in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease has caught research interest to a large extent. This article reviews the connection concerning the immune and nervous systems and highlights how immunosenescence and inflamm-aging can affect neurodegenerative disorders.

Cortical tau is associated with microstructural imaging biomarkers of neurite density and dendritic complexity in Alzheimer's disease

INTRODUCTION

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), hyperphosphorylated tau is closely associated with focal neurodegeneration, but the mechanism remains uncertain.

METHODS

We quantified cortical microstructure using neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging in 14 individuals with young onset AD. Diffusion tensor imaging measured mean diffusivity (MD). Amyloid beta and tau positron emission tomography were acquired and associations with microstructural measures were assessed.

RESULTS

When regional volume was adjusted for, in the medial temporal lobe there was a significant negative association between neurite density and tau (partial R2  = 0.56, p = 0.008) and between orientation dispersion and tau (partial R2  = 0.66, p = 0.002), but not between MD and tau. In a wider cortical composite, there was an association between orientation dispersion and tau (partial R2  = 0.43, p = 0.030), but not between other measures and tau.

DISCUSSION

Our findings are consistent with tau causing first dendritic pruning (reducing dispersion/complexity) followed by neuronal loss. Advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) microstructural measures have the potential to provide information relating to underlying tau deposition.

A comprehensive assessment of age at menopause with well-characterized cognition at 70 years: A population-based British birth cohort

OBJECTIVES

Associations between age at menopause and cognition post-menopause are examined to determine whether relationships are stronger for certain cognitive domains.

STUDY DESIGN

Women from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development and its neuroscience sub-study, Insight 46, were included if they had known age at menopause (self-reported via questionnaire) and complete cognitive outcome data at age 69 (n = 746) or at Insight 46 wave I (n = 197). Multivariable linear regression analyses adjusting for life course confounders were run; interactions with menopause type (natural/surgical) and APOE-ε4 status were examined; and the potential contribution of hormone therapy was assessed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Cognitive measures were standardized Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination - third edition total and sub-domain scores at age 69 (whole cohort) and Preclinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite total and sub-test scores at age ~70 (Insight 46).

RESULTS

Older age at menopause was associated with better performance across all outcomes, most strongly for the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination memory and visuospatial function sub-domains, and the Preclinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite digit-symbol substitution test and face-name associative memory examination sub-tests. Adjusting for early-life factors attenuated all effect estimates, driven by childhood cognition, and accounting for menopause type revealed negative confounding for some outcomes. No significant interactions with menopause type or APOE-ε4 status were detected. Further adjustment for hormone therapy did not meaningfully alter the estimated effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Older age at menopause is associated with better later-life cognitive performance, particularly for visual processing and associative learning and memory domains. Childhood cognition was an important contributor.

Investigating associations between blood metabolites, later life brain imaging measures, and genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease

BACKGROUND

Identifying blood-based signatures of brain health and preclinical pathology may offer insights into early disease mechanisms and highlight avenues for intervention. Here, we systematically profiled associations between blood metabolites and whole-brain volume, hippocampal volume, and amyloid-β status among participants of Insight 46-the neuroscience sub-study of the National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD). We additionally explored whether key metabolites were associated with polygenic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODS

Following quality control, levels of 1019 metabolites-detected with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-were available for 1740 participants at age 60-64. Metabolite data were subsequently clustered into modules of co-expressed metabolites using weighted coexpression network analysis. Accompanying MRI and amyloid-PET imaging data were present for 437 participants (age 69-71). Regression analyses tested relationships between metabolite measures-modules and hub metabolites-and imaging outcomes. Hub metabolites were defined as metabolites that were highly connected within significant (p_FDR < 0.05) modules or were identified as a hub in a previous analysis on cognitive function in the same cohort. Regression models included adjustments for age, sex, APOE genotype, lipid medication use, childhood cognitive ability, and social factors. Finally, associations were tested between AD polygenic risk scores (PRS), including and excluding the APOE region, and metabolites and modules that significantly associated (p_FDR < 0.05) with an imaging outcome (N = 1638).

RESULTS

In the fully adjusted model, three lipid modules were associated with a brain volume measure (p_FDR < 0.05): one enriched in sphingolipids (hippocampal volume: ß = 0.14, 95% CI = [0.055,0.23]), one in several fatty acid pathways (whole-brain volume: ß =  - 0.072, 95%CI = [- 0.12, - 0.026]), and another in diacylglycerols and phosphatidylethanolamines (whole-brain volume: ß =  - 0.066, 95% CI = [- 0.11, - 0.020]). Twenty-two hub metabolites were associated (p_FDR < 0.05) with an imaging outcome (whole-brain volume: 22; hippocampal volume: 4). Some nominal associations were reported for amyloid-β, and with an AD PRS in our genetic analysis, but none survived multiple testing correction.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight key metabolites, with functions in membrane integrity and cell signalling, that associated with structural brain measures in later life. Future research should focus on replicating this work and interrogating causality.

Adulthood cognitive trajectories over 26 years and brain health at 70 years of age: findings from the 1946 British Birth Cohort

Few studies can address how adulthood cognitive trajectories relate to brain health in 70-year-olds. Participants (n = 468, 49% female) from the 1946 British birth cohort underwent 18F-Florbetapir PET/MRI. Cognitive function was measured in childhood (age 8 years) and across adulthood (ages 43, 53, 60-64 and 69 years) and was examined in relation to brain health markers of β-amyloid (Aβ) status, whole brain and hippocampal volume, and white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV). Taking into account key contributors of adult cognitive decline including childhood cognition, those with greater Aβ and WMHV at age 70 years had greater decline in word-list learning memory in the preceding 26 years, particularly after age 60. In contrast, those with smaller whole brain and hippocampal volume at age 70 years had greater decline in processing search speed, subtly manifest from age 50 years. Subtle changes in memory and processing speed spanning 26 years of adulthood were associated with markers of brain health at 70 years of age, consistent with detectable prodromal cognitive effects in early older age.

The Power of Birth Cohorts to Study Risk Factors for Cognitive Impairment

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Birth cohorts are studies of people the same time; some of which have continuously followed participants across the life course. These are powerful designs for studying predictors of age-related outcomes, especially when information on predictors is collected before these outcomes are known. This article reviews recent findings from these cohorts for the outcomes of cognitive function, cognitive impairment, and risk of dementia, in relation to prior cognitive function, and social and biological predictors.

RECENT FINDINGS

Cognitive function and impairment are predicted by a wide range of factors, including childhood cognition, education, occupational status and complexity, and biological factors, including genetic and epigenetic. The particular importance of high and rising blood pressure in midlife is highlighted, with some insight into brain mechanisms involved. Some limitations are noted, including sources of bias in the data. Despite these limitations, birth cohorts have provided valuable insights into factors across the life course associated with cognitive impairment.

Life course, genetic, and neuropathological associations with brain age in the 1946 British Birth Cohort: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

A neuroimaging-based biomarker termed the brain age is thought to reflect variability in the brain's ageing process and predict longevity. Using Insight 46, a unique narrow-age birth cohort, we aimed to examine potential drivers and correlates of brain age.

METHODS

Participants, born in a single week in 1946 in mainland Britain, have had 24 prospective waves of data collection to date, including MRI and amyloid PET imaging at approximately 70 years old. Using MRI data from a previously defined selection of this cohort, we derived brain-predicted age from an established machine-learning model (trained on 2001 healthy adults aged 18-90 years); subtracting this from chronological age (at time of assessment) gave the brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD). We tested associations with data from early life, midlife, and late life, as well as rates of MRI-derived brain atrophy.

FINDINGS

Between May 28, 2015, and Jan 10, 2018, 502 individuals were assessed as part of Insight 46. We included 456 participants (225 female), with a mean chronological age of 70·7 years (SD 0·7; range 69·2 to 71·9). The mean brain-predicted age was 67·9 years (8·2, 46·3 to 94·3). Female sex was associated with a 5·4-year (95% CI 4·1 to 6·8) younger brain-PAD than male sex. An increase in brain-PAD was associated with increased cardiovascular risk at age 36 years (β=2·3 [95% CI 1·5 to 3·0]) and 69 years (β=2·6 [1·9 to 3·3]); increased cerebrovascular disease burden (1·9 [1·3 to 2·6]); lower cognitive performance (-1·3 [-2·4 to -0·2]); and increased serum neurofilament light concentration (1·2 [0·6 to 1·9]). Higher brain-PAD was associated with future hippocampal atrophy over the subsequent 2 years (0·003 mL/year [0·000 to 0·006] per 5-year increment in brain-PAD). Early-life factors did not relate to brain-PAD. Combining 12 metrics in a hierarchical partitioning model explained 33% of the variance in brain-PAD.

INTERPRETATION

Brain-PAD was associated with cardiovascular risk, and imaging and biochemical markers of neurodegeneration. These findings support brain-PAD as an integrative summary metric of brain health, reflecting multiple contributions to pathological brain ageing, and which might have prognostic utility.

FUNDING

Alzheimer's Research UK, Medical Research Council Dementia Platforms UK, Selfridges Group Foundation, Wolfson Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Brain Research UK, Alzheimer's Association.

Association between carotid atherosclerosis and brain activation patterns during the Stroop task in older adults: An fNIRS investigation

There is an increasing body of evidence suggesting that vascular disease could contribute to cognitive decline and overt dementia. Of particular interest is atherosclerosis, as it is not only associated with dementia, but could be a potential mechanism through which cardiovascular disease directly impacts brain health. In this work, we evaluated the differences in functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based measures of brain activation, task performance, and the change in central hemodynamics (mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR)) during a Stroop color-word task in individuals with atherosclerosis, defined as bilateral carotid plaques (n = 33) and healthy age-matched controls (n = 33). In the healthy control group, the left prefrontal cortex (LPFC) was the only region showing evidence of activation when comparing the incongruous with the nominal Stroop test. A smaller extent of brain activation was observed in the Plaque group compared with the healthy controls (1) globally, as measured by oxygenated hemoglobin (p = 0.036) and (2) in the LPFC (p = 0.02) and left sensorimotor cortices (LMC)(p = 0.008) as measured by deoxygenated hemoglobin. There were no significant differences in HR, MAP, or task performance (both in terms of the time required to complete the task and number of errors made) between Plaque and control groups. These results suggest that carotid atherosclerosis is associated with altered functional brain activation patterns despite no evidence of impaired performance of the Stroop task or central hemodynamic changes.

Overview of therapeutic targets in management of dementia

Dementia is defined as a gradual cognitive impairment that interferes with everyday tasks, and is a leading cause of dependency, disability, and mortality. According to the current scenario, millions of individuals worldwide have dementia. This review provides with an overview of dementia before moving on to its subtypes (neurodegenerative and non-neurodegenerative) and pathophysiology. It also discusses the incidence and severity of dementia, focusing on Alzheimer's disease with its different hypotheses such as Aβ cascade hypothesis, Tau hypothesis, inflammatory hypothesis, cholinergic and oxidative stress hypothesis. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type and a progressive neurodegenerative illness distinct by neuronal loss and resulting cognitive impairment, leading to dementia. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered the most familiar neurodegenerative dementias that affect mostly older population. There are still no disease-modifying therapies available for any dementias at this time, but there are various methods for lowering the risk to dementia patients by using suitable diagnostic and evaluation methods. Thereafter, the management and treatment of primary risk elements of dementia are reviewed. Finally, the future perspectives of dementia (AD) focusing on the impact of the new treatment are discussed.

Associations of β-Amyloid and Vascular Burden With Rates of Neurodegeneration in Cognitively Normal Members of the 1946 British Birth Cohort

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The goals of this work were to quantify the independent and interactive associations of β-amyloid (Aβ) and white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), a marker of presumed cerebrovascular disease (CVD), with rates of neurodegeneration and to examine the contributions of APOE ε4 and vascular risk measured at different stages of adulthood in cognitively normal members of the 1946 British Birth Cohort.

METHODS

Participants underwent brain MRI and florbetapir-Aβ PET as part of Insight 46, an observational population-based study. Changes in whole-brain, ventricular, and hippocampal volume were directly measured from baseline and repeat volumetric T1 MRI with the boundary shift integral. Linear regression was used to test associations with baseline Aβ deposition, baseline WMHV, APOE ε4, and office-based Framingham Heart Study Cardiovascular Risk Score (FHS-CVS) and systolic blood pressure (BP) at ages 36, 53, and 69 years.

RESULTS

Three hundred forty-six cognitively normal participants (mean [SD] age at baseline scan 70.5 [0.6] years; 48% female) had high-quality T1 MRI data from both time points (mean [SD] scan interval 2.4 [0.2] years). Being Aβ positive at baseline was associated with 0.87-mL/y faster whole-brain atrophy (95% CI 0.03, 1.72), 0.39-mL/y greater ventricular expansion (95% CI 0.16, 0.64), and 0.016-mL/y faster hippocampal atrophy (95% CI 0.004, 0.027), while each 10-mL additional WMHV at baseline was associated with 1.07-mL/y faster whole-brain atrophy (95% CI 0.47, 1.67), 0.31-mL/y greater ventricular expansion (95% CI 0.13, 0.60), and 0.014-mL/y faster hippocampal atrophy (95% CI 0.006, 0.022). These contributions were independent, and there was no evidence that Aβ and WMHV interacted in their effects. There were no independent associations of APOE ε4 with rates of neurodegeneration after adjustment for Aβ status and WMHV, no clear relationships between FHS-CVS or systolic BP and rates of neurodegeneration when assessed across the whole sample, and no evidence that FHS-CVS or systolic BP acted synergistically with Aβ.

DISCUSSION

Aβ and presumed CVD have distinct and additive effects on rates of neurodegeneration in cognitively normal elderly. These findings have implications for the use of MRI measures as biomarkers of neurodegeneration and emphasize the importance of risk management and early intervention targeting both pathways.

Saponins and flavonoids from Bacopa floribunda plant extract exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on amyloid beta 1-42-induced Alzheimer's disease in BALB/c mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Bacopa floribunda (BF), a locally available plant has been employed traditionally as memory enhancer in Southwestern, Nigeria. It has been utilized in traditional and Ayurvedic medicine as brain tonic for enhancing memory, anti-aging and forestalling series of psychological disorders. However, there is a dearth of scientific information on the mechanism(s) of action of important phytochemicals from BF extract on dementia.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Alzheimer's disease, the commonest form of dementia has been postulated to triple by 2050 as a result of increase in life expectancy. This study therefore assessed and compared the possible mechanism(s) of action of flavonoids and saponins from BF on Amyloid beta (Aβ1-42)-induced dementia in male BALB/c mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eighty (80) healthy BALB/c mice divided into 10 groups (n = 8) were given a single bilateral ICV injection of Aβ1-42 or normal saline. Graded doses of Saponins and flavonoids (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) were used as treatment for 21 days. Hippocampal homogenates were assayed for the levels of antioxidants, oxidative stress and neuroinflammatory markers. In vitro antioxidant activity of flavonoids and saponins were equally assessed using standard procedures. The extent of microglial activation was quantified through immunohistochemistry procedure.

RESULTS

Aβ1-42 successfully caused a spike in hippocampal levels of MDA, IL1β, TNF-α including MPO levels and invariably decreased antioxidant activities. Likewise an increase in reactive microglia (microgliosis) was observed. However, crude saponins and flavonoids from BF were able to suppress microgliosis, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation induced by Aβ1- 42 and were observed to be more effective at higher doses of saponins (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg) and flavonoid (100 mg/kg).

CONCLUSIONS

Phytochemicals from BF efficiently exhibited dose dependent alleviation of some symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Circulating Metabolome and White Matter Hyperintensities in Women and Men

BACKGROUND

White matter hyperintensities (WMH), identified on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images of the human brain as areas of enhanced brightness, are a major risk factor of stroke, dementia, and death. There are no large-scale studies testing associations between WMH and circulating metabolites.

METHODS

We studied up to 9290 individuals (50.7% female, average age 61 years) from 15 populations of 8 community-based cohorts. WMH volume was quantified from T2-weighted or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images or as hypointensities on T1-weighted images. Circulating metabolomic measures were assessed with mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Associations between WMH and metabolomic measures were tested by fitting linear regression models in the pooled sample and in sex-stratified and statin treatment-stratified subsamples. Our basic models were adjusted for age, sex, age×sex, and technical covariates, and our fully adjusted models were also adjusted for statin treatment, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, smoking, body mass index, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Population-specific results were meta-analyzed using the fixed-effect inverse variance-weighted method. Associations with false discovery rate (FDR)-adjusted P values (PFDR)<0.05 were considered significant.

RESULTS

In the meta-analysis of results from the basic models, we identified 30 metabolomic measures associated with WMH (PFDR<0.05), 7 of which remained significant in the fully adjusted models. The most significant association was with higher level of hydroxyphenylpyruvate in men (PFDR.full.adj=1.40×10-7) and in both the pooled sample (PFDR.full.adj=1.66×10-4) and statin-untreated (PFDR.full.adj=1.65×10-6) subsample. In men, hydroxyphenylpyruvate explained 3% to 14% of variance in WMH. In men and the pooled sample, WMH were also associated with lower levels of lysophosphatidylcholines and hydroxysphingomyelins and a larger diameter of low-density lipoprotein particles, likely arising from higher triglyceride to total lipids and lower cholesteryl ester to total lipids ratios within these particles. In women, the only significant association was with higher level of glucuronate (PFDR=0.047).

CONCLUSIONS

Circulating metabolomic measures, including multiple lipid measures (eg, lysophosphatidylcholines, hydroxysphingomyelins, low-density lipoprotein size and composition) and nonlipid metabolites (eg, hydroxyphenylpyruvate, glucuronate), associate with WMH in a general population of middle-aged and older adults. Some metabolomic measures show marked sex specificities and explain a sizable proportion of WMH variance.

Sex-related differences in whole brain volumes at age 70 in association with hyperglycemia during adult life

Longitudinal studies of the relationship between hyperglycemia and brain health are rare and there is limited information on sex differences in associations. We investigated whether glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) measured at ages of 53, 60-64 and 69 years, and cumulative glycemic index (CGI), a measure of cumulative glycemic burden, were associated with metrics of brain health in later life. Participants were from Insight 46, a substudy of the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD) who undertook volumetric MRI, florbetapir amyloid-PET imaging and cognitive assessments at ages of 69-71. Analyses were performed using linear and logistic regression as appropriate, with adjustment for potential confounders. We observed a sex interaction between HbA1c and whole brain volume (WBV) at all 3 time points. Following stratification of our sample, we observed that HbA1c at all ages, and CGI were positively associated with lower WBV exclusively in females. HbA1c (or CGI) was not associated with amyloid status, white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), hippocampal volumes (HV) or cognitive outcomes in either sex. Higher HbA1c in adulthood is associated with smaller WBV at 69-71 years in females but not in males. This suggests that there may be preferential target organ damage in the brain for females with hyperglycemia.

Antioxidants in Alzheimer's Disease: Current Therapeutic Significance and Future Prospects

Alzheimer's disease (AD) rate is accelerating with the increasing aging of the world's population. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated AD as a global health priority. According to the WHO report, around 82 million people in 2030 and 152 million in 2050 will develop dementia (AD contributes 60% to 70% of cases), considering the current scenario. AD is the most common neurodegenerative disease, intensifying impairments in cognition, behavior, and memory. Histopathological AD variations include extracellular senile plaques' formation, tangling of intracellular neurofibrils, and synaptic and neuronal loss in the brain. Multiple evidence directly indicates that oxidative stress participates in an early phase of AD before cytopathology. Moreover, oxidative stress is induced by almost all misfolded protein lumps like α-synuclein, amyloid-β, and others. Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in activating and causing various cell signaling pathways that result in lesion formations of toxic substances, which foster the development of the disease. Antioxidants are widely preferred to combat oxidative stress, and those derived from natural sources, which are often incorporated into dietary habits, can play an important role in delaying the onset as well as reducing the progression of AD. However, this approach has not been extensively explored yet. Moreover, there has been growing evidence that a combination of antioxidants in conjugation with a nutrient-rich diet might be more effective in tackling AD pathogenesis. Thus, considering the above-stated fact, this comprehensive review aims to elaborate the basics of AD and antioxidants, including the vitality of antioxidants in AD. Moreover, this review may help researchers to develop effectively and potentially improved antioxidant therapeutic strategies for this disease as it also deals with the clinical trials in the stated field.

Dissociable effects of APOE-ε4 and β-amyloid pathology on visual working memory

Although APOE-ε4 carriers are at significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than non-carriers1, controversial evidence suggests that APOE-ε4 might confer some advantages, explaining the survival of this gene (antagonistic pleiotropy)2,3. In a population-based cohort born in one week in 1946 (assessed aged 69-71), we assessed differential effects of APOE-ε4 and β-amyloid pathology (quantified using 18F-Florbetapir-PET) on visual working memory (object-location binding). In 398 cognitively normal participants, APOE-ε4 and β-amyloid had opposing effects on object identification, predicting better and poorer recall respectively. ε4-carriers also recalled locations more precisely, with a greater advantage at higher β-amyloid burden. These results provide evidence of superior visual working memory in ε4-carriers, showing that some benefits of this genotype are demonstrable in older age, even in the preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Subjective cognitive complaints at age 70: associations with amyloid and mental health

OBJECTIVE

To investigate subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in relation to β-amyloid pathology and to test for associations with anxiety, depression, objective cognition and family history of dementia in the Insight 46 study.

METHODS

Cognitively unimpaired ~70-year-old participants, all born in the same week in 1946 (n=460, 49% female, 18% amyloid-positive), underwent assessments including the SCD-Questionnaire (MyCog). MyCog scores were evaluated with respect to 18F-Florbetapir-PET amyloid status (positive/negative). Associations with anxiety, depression, objective cognition (measured by the Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite, PACC) and family history of dementia were also investigated. The informant's perspective on SCD was evaluated in relation to MyCog score.

RESULTS

Anxiety (mean (SD) trait anxiety score: 4.4 (3.9)) was associated with higher MyCog scores, especially in women. MyCog scores were higher in amyloid-positive compared with amyloid-negative individuals (adjusted means (95% CIs): 5.3 (4.4 to 6.1) vs 4.3 (3.9 to 4.7), p=0.044), after accounting for differences in anxiety. PACC (mean (SD) -0.05 (0.68)) and family history of dementia (prevalence: 23.9%) were not independently associated with MyCog scores. The informant's perception of SCD was generally in accordance with that of the participant.

CONCLUSIONS

This cross-sectional study demonstrates that symptoms of SCD are associated with both β-amyloid pathology, and more consistently, trait anxiety in a population-based cohort of older adults, at an age when those who are destined to develop dementia are still likely to be some years away from symptoms. This highlights the necessity of considering anxiety symptoms when assessing Alzheimer's disease pathology and SCD.

Anatomical-guided attention enhances unsupervised PET image denoising performance

Although supervised convolutional neural networks (CNNs) often outperform conventional alternatives for denoising positron emission tomography (PET) images, they require many low- and high-quality reference PET image pairs. Herein, we propose an unsupervised 3D PET image denoising method based on an anatomical information-guided attention mechanism. The proposed magnetic resonance-guided deep decoder (MR-GDD) utilizes the spatial details and semantic features of MR-guidance image more effectively by introducing encoder-decoder and deep decoder subnetworks. Moreover, the specific shapes and patterns of the guidance image do not affect the denoised PET image, because the guidance image is input to the network through an attention gate. In a Monte Carlo simulation of [¹⁸F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG), the proposed method achieved the highest peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity (27.92 ± 0.44 dB/0.886 ± 0.007), as compared with Gaussian filtering (26.68 ± 0.10 dB/0.807 ± 0.004), image guided filtering (27.40 ± 0.11 dB/0.849 ± 0.003), deep image prior (DIP) (24.22 ± 0.43 dB/0.737 ± 0.017), and MR-DIP (27.65 ± 0.42 dB/0.879 ± 0.007). Furthermore, we experimentally visualized the behavior of the optimization process, which is often unknown in unsupervised CNN-based restoration problems. For preclinical (using [¹⁸F]FDG and [¹¹C]raclopride) and clinical (using [¹⁸F]florbetapir) studies, the proposed method demonstrates state-of-the-art denoising performance while retaining spatial resolution and quantitative accuracy, despite using a common network architecture for various noisy PET images with 1/10th of the full counts. These results suggest that the proposed MR-GDD can reduce PET scan times and PET tracer doses considerably without impacting patients.

Grip strength from midlife as an indicator of later-life brain health and cognition: evidence from a British birth cohort

BACKGROUND

Grip strength is an indicator of physical function with potential predictive value for health in ageing populations. We assessed whether trends in grip strength from midlife predicted later-life brain health and cognition.

METHODS

446 participants in an ongoing British birth cohort study, the National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD), had their maximum grip strength measured at ages 53, 60-64, and 69, and subsequently underwent neuroimaging as part of a neuroscience sub-study, referred to as "Insight 46", at age 69-71. A group-based trajectory model identified latent groups of individuals in the whole NSHD cohort with below- or above-average grip strength over time, plus a reference group. Group assignment, plus standardised grip strength levels and change from midlife were each related to measures of whole-brain volume (WBV) and white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), plus several cognitive tests. Models were adjusted for sex, body size, head size (where appropriate), sociodemographics, and behavioural and vascular risk factors.

RESULTS

Lower grip strength from midlife was associated with smaller WBV and lower matrix reasoning scores at age 69-71, with findings consistent between analysis of individual time points and analysis of trajectory groups. There was little evidence of an association between grip strength and other cognitive test scores. Although greater declines in grip strength showed a weak association with higher WMHV at age 69-71, trends in the opposite direction were seen at individual time points with higher grip strength at ages 60-64, and 69 associated with higher WMHV.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides preliminary evidence that maximum grip strength may have value in predicting brain health. Future work should assess to what extent age-related declines in grip strength from midlife reflect concurrent changes in brain structure.

Alzheimer's Disease and β-Secretase Inhibition: An Update With a Focus on Computer-Aided Inhibitor Design

INTRODUCTION

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an intensifying neurodegenerative illness due to its irreversible nature. Identification of β-site amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleaving enzyme1 (BACE1) has been a significant medicinal focus towards AD treatment, and this has opened ground for several investigations. Despite the numerous works in this direction, no BACE1 inhibitor has made it to the final approval stage as an anti-AD drug.

METHOD

We provide an introductory background of the subject with a general overview of the pathogenesis of AD. The review features BACE1 inhibitor design and development with a focus on some clinical trials and discontinued drugs. Using the topical keywords BACE1, inhibitor design, and computational/theoretical study in the Web of Science and Scopus database, we retrieved over 49 relevant articles. The search years are from 2010 and 2020, with analysis conducted from May 2020 to March 2021.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Researchers have employed computational methodologies to unravel potential BACE1 inhibitors with a significant outcome. The most used computer-aided approach in BACE1 inhibitor design and binding/interaction studies are pharmacophore development, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR), virtual screening, docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. These methods, plus more advanced ones including quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) and QM, have proven substantial in the computational framework for BACE1 inhibitor design. Computational chemists have embraced the incorporation of in vitro assay to provide insight into the inhibition performance of identified molecules with potential inhibition towards BACE1. Significant IC₅₀ values up to 50 nM, better than clinical trial compounds, are available in the literature.

CONCLUSION

The continuous failure of potent BACE1 inhibitors at clinical trials is attracting many queries prompting researchers to investigate newer concepts necessary for effective inhibitor design. The considered properties for efficient BACE1 inhibitor design seem enormous and require thorough scrutiny. Lately, researchers noticed that besides appreciable binding affinity and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeation, BACE1 inhibitor must show low or no affinity for permeability-glycoprotein. Computational modeling methods have profound applications in drug discovery strategy. With the volume of recent in silico studies on BACE1 inhibition, the prospect of identifying potent molecules that would reach the approved level is feasible. Investigators should try pushing many of the identified BACE1 compounds with significant anti-AD properties to preclinical and clinical trial stages. We also advise computational research on allosteric inhibitor design, exosite modeling, and multisite inhibition of BACE1. These alternatives might be a solution to BACE1 drug discovery in AD therapy.

Investigating the Relationship Between IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGFBP-3 Concentrations and Later-Life Cognition and Brain Volume

BACKGROUND

The insulin/insulin-like signaling (IIS) pathways, including insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), vary with age. However, their association with late-life cognition and neuroimaging parameters is not well characterized.

METHODS

Using data from the British 1946 birth cohort, we investigated associations of IGF-I, IGF-II and IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3; measured at 53 and 60-64 years of age) with cognitive performance [word-learning test (WLT) and visual letter search (VLS) at 60-64 years and 69 years of age] and cognitive state [Addenbrooke's Cognitive Exam III (ACE-III) at 69-71 years of age], and in a proportion, quantified neuroimaging measures [whole brain volume (WBV), white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), hippocampal volume (HV)]. Regression models included adjustments for demographic, lifestyle, and health factors.

RESULTS

Higher IGF-I and IGF-II at 53 years of age was associated with higher ACE-III scores [ß 0.07 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.02, 0.12); scoreACE-III 89.48 (88.86, 90.1), respectively). IGF-II at 53 years of age was additionally associated with higher WLT scores [scoreWLT 20 (19.35, 20.65)]. IGFBP-3 at 60 to 64 years of age was associated with favorable VLS score at 60 to 64 and 69 years of age [ß 0.07 (0.01, 0.12); ß 0.07 (0.02, 0.12), respectively], higher memory and cognitive state at 69 years of age [ß 0.07 (0.01, 0.12); ß 0.07 (0.01, 0.13), respectively], and reduced WMHV [ß -0.1 (-0.21, -0.00)]. IGF-I/IGFBP-3 at 60 to 64 years of was associated with lower VLS scores at 69 years of age [ß -0.08 (-0.15, -0.02)].

CONCLUSIONS

Increased measure in IIS parameters (IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGFBP-3) relate to better cognitive state in later life. There were apparent associations with specific cognitive domains (IGF-II relating to memory; IGFBP-3 relating to memory, processing speed, and WMHV; and IGF-I/IGFBP-3 molar ratio related to slower processing speed). IGFs and IGFBP-3 are associated with favorable cognitive function outcomes.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers in Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy

Background:

There is limited data on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in sporadic amyloid-β (Aβ) cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA).

Objective:

To determine the profile of biomarkers relevant to neurodegenerative disease in the CSF of patients with CAA.

Methods:

We performed a detailed comparison of CSF markers, comparing patients with CAA, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and control (CS) participants, recruited from the Biomarkers and Outcomes in CAA (BOCAA) study, and a Specialist Cognitive Disorders Service.

Results:

We included 10 CAA, 20 AD, and 10 CS participants (mean age 68.6, 62.5, and 62.2 years, respectively). In unadjusted analyses, CAA patients had a distinctive CSF biomarker profile, with significantly lower (p < 0.01) median concentrations of Aβ₃₈, Aβ₄₀, Aβ₄₂, sAβPPα, and sAβPPβ. CAA patients had higher levels of neurofilament light (NFL) than the CS group (p < 0.01), but there were no significant differences in CSF total tau, phospho-tau, soluble TREM2 (sTREM2), or neurogranin concentrations. AD patients had higher total tau, phospho-tau and neurogranin than CS and CAA groups. In age-adjusted analyses, differences for the CAA group remained for Aβ₃₈, Aβ₄₀, Aβ₄₂, and sAβPPβ. Comparing CAA patients with amyloid-PET positive (n = 5) and negative (n = 5) scans, PET positive individuals had lower (p < 0.05) concentrations of CSF Aβ₄₂, and higher total tau, phospho-tau, NFL, and neurogranin concentrations, consistent with an “AD-like” profile.

Conclusion:

CAA has a characteristic biomarker profile, suggestive of a global, rather than selective, accumulation of amyloid species; we also provide evidence of different phenotypes according to amyloid-PET positivity. Further replication and validation of these preliminary findings in larger cohorts is needed.

Investigating the relationship between BMI across adulthood and late life brain pathologies

Background

In view of reported associations between high adiposity, particularly in midlife and late-life dementia risk, we aimed to determine associations between body mass index (BMI), and BMI changes across adulthood and brain structure and pathology at age 69–71 years.

Methods

Four hundred sixty-five dementia-free participants from Insight 46, a sub-study of the British 1946 birth cohort, who had cross-sectional T1/FLAIR volumetric MRI, and florbetapir amyloid-PET imaging at age 69–71 years, were included in analyses. We quantified white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) using T1 and FLAIR 3D-MRI; β-amyloid (Aβ) positivity/negativity using a SUVR approach; and whole brain (WBV) and hippocampal volumes (HV) using 3D T1-MRI. We investigated the influence of BMI, and BMI changes at and between 36, 43, 53, 60–64, 69 and 71 years, on late-life WMHV, Aβ-status, WBV and mean HV. Analyses were repeated using overweight and obese status.

Results

At no time-point was BMI, change in BMI or overweight/obese status associated with WMHV or WBV at age 69–71 years. Decreasing BMI in the 1–2 years before imaging was associated with an increased odds of being β-amyloid positive (OR 1.45, 95% confidence interval 1.09, 1.92). There were associations between being overweight and larger mean HV at ages 60–64 (β = 0.073 ml, 95% CI 0.009, 0.137), 69 (β = 0.076 ml, 95% CI 0.012, 0.140) and 71 years (β = 0.101 ml, 95% CI 0.037, 0.165). A similar, albeit weaker, trend was seen with obese status.

Conclusions

Using WMHV, β-amyloid status and brain volumes as indicators of brain health, we do not find evidence to explain reported associations between midlife obesity and late-life dementia risk. Declining BMI in later life may reflect preclinical Alzheimer’s disease.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13195-021-00830-7.

A population-based study of head injury, cognitive function and pathological markers

Objective

To assess associations between head injury (HI) with loss of consciousness (LOC), ageing and markers of later‐life cerebral pathology; and to explore whether those effects may help explain subtle cognitive deficits in dementia‐free individuals.

Methods

Participants (n = 502, age = 69–71) from the 1946 British Birth Cohort underwent cognitive testing (subtests of Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite), ¹⁸F‐florbetapir Aβ‐PET and MR imaging. Measures include Aβ‐PET status, brain, hippocampal and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volumes, normal appearing white matter (NAWM) microstructure, Alzheimer’s disease (AD)‐related cortical thickness, and serum neurofilament light chain (NFL). LOC HI metrics include HI occurring: (i) >15 years prior to the scan (ii) anytime up to age 71.

Results

Compared to those with no evidence of an LOC HI, only those reporting an LOC HI>15 years prior (16%, n = 80) performed worse on cognitive tests at age 69–71, taking into account premorbid cognition, particularly on the digit‐symbol substitution test (DSST). Smaller brain volume (BV) and adverse NAWM microstructural integrity explained 30% and 16% of the relationship between HI and DSST, respectively. We found no evidence that LOC HI was associated with Aβ load, hippocampal volume, WMH volume, AD‐related cortical thickness or NFL (all p > 0.01).

Interpretation

Having a LOC HI aged 50’s and younger was linked with lower later‐life cognitive function at age ~70 than expected. This may reflect a damaging but small impact of HI; explained in part by smaller BV and different microstructure pathways but not via pathology related to AD (amyloid, hippocampal volume, AD cortical thickness) or ongoing neurodegeneration (serum NFL).

Population-based blood screening for preclinical Alzheimer's disease in a British birth cohort at age 70

Alzheimer's disease has a preclinical stage when cerebral amyloid-β deposition occurs before symptoms emerge, and when amyloid-β-targeted therapies may have maximum benefits. Existing amyloid-β status measurement techniques, including amyloid PET and CSF testing, are difficult to deploy at scale, so blood biomarkers are increasingly considered for screening. We compared three different blood-based techniques-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry measures of plasma amyloid-β, and single molecule array (Simoa) measures of plasma amyloid-β and phospho-tau181-to detect cortical 18F-florbetapir amyloid PET positivity (defined as a standardized uptake value ratio of >0.61 between a predefined cortical region of interest and eroded subcortical white matter) in dementia-free members of Insight 46, a substudy of the population-based British 1946 birth cohort. We used logistic regression models with blood biomarkers as predictors of amyloid PET status, with or without age, sex and APOE ε4 carrier status as covariates. We generated receiver operating characteristics curves and quantified areas under the curves to compare the concordance of the different blood tests with amyloid PET. We determined blood test cut-off points using Youden's index, then estimated numbers needed to screen to obtain 100 amyloid PET-positive individuals. Of the 502 individuals assessed, 441 dementia-free individuals with complete data were included; 82 (18.6%) were amyloid PET-positive. The area under the curve for amyloid PET status using a base model comprising age, sex and APOE ε4 carrier status was 0.695 (95% confidence interval: 0.628-0.762). The two best-performing Simoa plasma biomarkers were amyloid-β42/40 (0.620; 0.548-0.691) and phospho-tau181 (0.707; 0.646-0.768), but neither outperformed the base model. Mass spectrometry plasma measures performed significantly better than any other measure (amyloid-β1-42/1-40: 0.817; 0.770-0.864 and amyloid-β composite: 0.820; 0.775-0.866). At a cut-off point of 0.095, mass spectrometry measures of amyloid-β1-42/1-40 detected amyloid PET positivity with 86.6% sensitivity and 71.9% specificity. Without screening, to obtain 100 PET-positive individuals from a population with similar amyloid PET positivity prevalence to Insight 46, 543 PET scans would need to be performed. Screening using age, sex and APOE ε4 status would require 940 individuals, of whom 266 would proceed to scan. Using mass spectrometry amyloid-β1-42/1-40 alone would reduce these numbers to 623 individuals and 243 individuals, respectively. Across a theoretical range of amyloid PET positivity prevalence of 10-50%, mass spectrometry measures of amyloid-β1-42/1-40 would consistently reduce the numbers proceeding to scans, with greater cost savings demonstrated at lower prevalence.

Uncertainty analysis of MR-PET image registration for precision neuro-PET imaging

Accurate regional brain quantitative PET measurements, particularly when using partial volume correction, rely on robust image registration between PET and MR images. We argue here that the precision, and hence the uncertainty, of MR-PET image registration is mainly driven by the registration implementation and the quality of PET images due to their lower resolution and higher noise compared to the structural MR images. We propose a dedicated uncertainty analysis for quantifying the precision of MR-PET registration, centred around the bootstrap resampling of PET list-mode events to generate multiple PET image realisations with different noise (count) levels. The effects of PET image reconstruction parameters, such as the use of attenuation and scatter corrections and different number of iterations, on the precision and accuracy of MR-PET registration were investigated. In addition, the performance of four software packages with their default settings for rigid inter-modality image registration were considered: NiftyReg, Vinci, FSL and SPM. Four distinct PET image distributions made of two early time frames (similar to cortical FDG) and two late frames using two amyloid PET dynamic acquisitions of one amyloid positive and one amyloid negative participants were investigated. For the investigated four PET frames, the biggest impact on the uncertainty was observed between registration software packages (up to 10-fold difference in precision) followed by the reconstruction parameters. On average, the lowest uncertainty for different PET frames and brain regions was observed with SPM and two iterations of fully quantitative image reconstruction. The observed uncertainty for the varying PET count-level (from 5% to 60%) was slightly lower than for the reconstruction parameters. We also observed that the registration uncertainty in quantitative PET analysis depends on amyloid status of the considered PET frames, with increased uncertainty (up to three times) when using post-reconstruction partial volume correction. This analysis is applicable for PET data obtained from either PET/MR or PET/CT scanners.

Concordance of CSF measures of Alzheimer's pathology with amyloid PET status in a preclinical cohort: A comparison of Lumipulse and established immunoassays

INTRODUCTION

We assessed the concordance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau measured on the fully automated Lumipulse platform with pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology on amyloid positron emission tomography (PET).

METHODS

In 72 individuals from the Insight 46 study, CSF Aβ40, Aβ42, total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau at site 181 (p-tau181) were measured using Lumipulse, INNOTEST, and Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) assays and inter-platform Pearson correlations derived. Lumipulse Aβ42 measures were adjusted to incorporate standardization to certified reference materials. Logistic regressions and receiver operating characteristics analysis generated CSF cut-points optimizing concordance with 18F-florbetapir amyloid PET status (n = 63).

RESULTS

Measurements of CSF Aβ, p-tau181, and their ratios correlated well across platforms (r 0.84 to 0.94, P < .0001); those of t-tau and t-tau/Aβ42 correlated moderately (r 0.57 to 0.79, P < .0001). The best concordance with amyloid PET (100% sensitivity and 94% specificity) was afforded by cut-points of 0.075 for Lumipulse Aβ42/Aβ40, 0.087 for MSD Aβ42/Aβ40 and 17.3 for Lumipulse Aβ42/p-tau181.

DISCUSSION

The Lumipulse platform provides comparable sensitivity and specificity to established CSF immunoassays in identifying pre-symptomatic AD pathology.

Visuomotor integration deficits are common to familial and sporadic preclinical Alzheimer's disease

We investigated whether subtle visuomotor deficits were detectable in familial and sporadic preclinical Alzheimer's disease. A circle-tracing task-with direct and indirect visual feedback, and dual-task subtraction-was completed by 31 individuals at 50% risk of familial Alzheimer's disease (19 presymptomatic mutation carriers; 12 non-carriers) and 390 cognitively normal older adults (members of the British 1946 Birth Cohort, all born during the same week; age range at assessment = 69-71 years), who also underwent β-amyloid-PET/MRI to derive amyloid status (positive/negative), whole-brain volume and white matter hyperintensity volume. We compared preclinical Alzheimer's groups against controls cross-sectionally (mutation carriers versus non-carriers; amyloid-positive versus amyloid-negative) on speed and accuracy of circle-tracing and subtraction. Mutation carriers (mean 7 years before expected onset) and amyloid-positive older adults traced disproportionately less accurately than controls when visual feedback was indirect, and were slower at dual-task subtraction. In the older adults, the same pattern of associations was found when considering amyloid burden as a continuous variable (Standardized Uptake Value Ratio). The effect of amyloid was independent of white matter hyperintensity and brain volumes, which themselves were associated with different aspects of performance: greater white matter hyperintensity volume was also associated with disproportionately poorer tracing accuracy when visual feedback was indirect, whereas larger brain volume was associated with faster tracing and faster subtraction. Mutation carriers also showed evidence of poorer tracing accuracy when visual feedback was direct. This study provides the first evidence of visuomotor integration deficits common to familial and sporadic preclinical Alzheimer's disease, which may precede the onset of clinical symptoms by several years.

KL∗VS heterozygosity reduces brain amyloid in asymptomatic at-risk APOE∗4 carriers

KLOTHO∗VS heterozygosity (KL∗VS^HET+) was recently shown to be associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in APOE∗4 carriers. Additional studies suggest that KL∗VS^HET+ protects against amyloid burden in cognitively normal older subjects, but sample sizes were too small to draw definitive conclusions. We performed a well-powered meta-analysis across 5 independent studies, comprising 3581 pre-clinical participants ages 60-80, to investigate whether KL∗VS^HET+ reduces the risk of having an amyloid-positive positron emission tomography scan. Analyses were stratified by APOE∗4 status. KL∗VS^HET+ reduced the risk of amyloid positivity in APOE∗4 carriers (odds ratio = 0.67 [0.52-0.88]; p = 3.5 × 10^-3), but not in APOE∗4 non-carriers (odds ratio = 0.94 [0.73-1.21]; p = 0.63). The combination of APOE∗4 and KL∗VS genotypes should help enrich AD clinical trials for pre-symptomatic subjects at increased risk of developing amyloid aggregation and AD. KL-related pathways may help elucidate protective mechanisms against amyloid accumulation and merit exploration for novel AD drug targets. Future investigation of the biological mechanisms by which KL interacts with APOE∗4 and AD are warranted.

Associations Between Vascular Risk Across Adulthood and Brain Pathology in Late Life: Evidence From a British Birth Cohort

Question

When is vascular risk during adulthood (early adulthood, midlife, or late life) most strongly associated with late-life brain structure and pathology?

Findings

In a propective cohort of 463 participants free of dementia from the population-based Insight 46 study, higher vascular risk in early adulthood was most strongly associated with smaller whole-brain volumes and greater white matter–hyperintensity volumes at age 69 to 71 years. There were no associations at any age with amyloid status.

Meaning

These findings are consistent with vascular risk influencing late-life brain health via cerebral small-vessel disease and lower brain volumes but not amyloidosis; vascular risk screening and modification may need to be considered from early adulthood.

Importance

Midlife vascular risk burden is associated with late-life dementia. Less is known about if and how risk exposure in early adulthood influences late-life brain health.

Objective

To determine the associations between vascular risk in early adulthood, midlife, and late life with late-life brain structure and pathology using measures of white matter–hyperintensity volume, β-amyloid load, and whole-brain and hippocampal volumes.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This prospective longitudinal cohort study, Insight 46, is part of the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, which commenced in 1946. Participants had vascular risk factors evaluated at ages 36 years (early adulthood), 53 years (midlife), and 69 years (early late life). Participants were assessed with multimodal magnetic resonance imaging and florbetapir-amyloid positron emission tomography scans between May 2015 and January 2018 at University College London. Participants with at least 1 available imaging measure, vascular risk measurements at 1 or more points, and no dementia were included in analyses.

Exposures

Office-based Framingham Heart study–cardiovascular risk scores (FHS-CVS) were derived at ages 36, 53, and 69 years using systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive medication usage, smoking, diabetic status, and body mass index. Analysis models adjusted for age at imaging, sex, APOE genotype, socioeconomic position, and, where appropriate, total intracranial volume.

Main Outcomes and Measures

White matter–hyperintensity volume was generated from T1/fluid-attenuated inversion recovery scans using an automated technique and whole-brain volume and hippocampal volume were generated from automated in-house pipelines; β-amyloid status was determined using a gray matter/eroded subcortical white matter standardized uptake value ratio threshold of 0.61.

Results

A total of 502 participants were assessed as part of Insight 46, and 463 participants (236 male [51.0%]) with at least 1 available imaging measure (mean [SD] age at imaging, 70.7 [0.7] years; 83 β-amyloid positive [18.2%]) who fulfilled eligibility criteria were included. Among them, FHS-CVS increased with age (36 years: median [interquartile range], 2.7% [1.5%-3.6%]; 53 years: 10.9% [6.7%-15.6%]; 69 years: 24.3% [14.9%-34.9%]). At all points, these scores were associated with smaller whole-brain volumes (36 years: β coefficient per 1% increase, −3.6 [95% CI, −7.0 to −0.3]; 53 years: −0.8 [95% CI, −1.5 to −0.08]; 69 years: −0.6 [95% CI, −1.1 to −0.2]) and higher white matter–hyperintensity volume (exponentiated coefficient: 36 years, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.01-1.18]; 53 years, 1.02 [95% CI, 1.00-1.04]; 69 years, 1.01 [95% CI, 1.00-1.02]), with largest effect sizes at age 36 years. At no point were FHS-CVS results associated with β-amyloid status.

Conclusions and Relevance

Higher vascular risk is associated with smaller whole-brain volume and greater white matter–hyperintensity volume at age 69 to 71 years, with the strongest association seen with early adulthood vascular risk. There was no evidence that higher vascular risk influences amyloid deposition, at least up to age 71 years. Reducing vascular risk with appropriate interventions should be considered from early adulthood to maximize late-life brain health.

Concordance of CSF measures of Alzheimer's pathology with amyloid PET status in a preclinical cohort: A comparison of Lumipulse and established immunoassays

INTRODUCTION

We assessed the concordance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau measured on the fully automated Lumipulse platform with pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology on amyloid positron emission tomography (PET).

METHODS

In 72 individuals from the Insight 46 study, CSF Aβ40, Aβ42, total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau at site 181 (p-tau181) were measured using Lumipulse, INNOTEST, and Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) assays, and inter-platform Pearson correlations were derived. Logistic regressions and receiver-operating characteristic analysis generated CSF cut-points optimizing concordance with 18F-florbetapir amyloid PET status (n = 63).

RESULTS

Measurements of CSF Aβ, p-tau181, and their ratios correlated well across platforms (r 0.84-.94, P < .0001); those of t-tau and t-tau/Aβ42 correlated moderately (r 0.57-0.79, P < .0001). The best concordance with amyloid PET (100% sensitivity and 94% specificity) was afforded by cut-points of 0.110 for Lumipulse Aβ42/Aβ40, 0.087 for MSD Aβ42/Aβ40, and 25.3 for Lumipulse Aβ42/p-tau181.

DISCUSSION

The Lumipulse platform provides comparable sensitivity and specificity to established CSF immunoassays in identifying pre-symptomatic AD pathology.

Study Protocol - Insight 46 Cardiovascular: A Sub-study of the MRC National Survey of Health and Development

The commonest causes of dementia are Alzheimer's disease and vascular cognitive impairment. Although these conditions have been viewed as distinct entities, there is increasing evidence that neurodegenerative and vascular pathologies interact or overlap to cause cognitive decline, and that at least in some cases individuals at risk of cognitive decline exhibit abnormal cardiovascular physiology long before emergence of disease. However, the mechanisms linking haemodynamic disturbances with cognitive impairment and the various pathologies that cause dementia are poorly understood. A sub-sample of 502 participants from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD) have participated in the first visit of a neuroscience sub-study referred to as Insight 46, where clinical, cognitive, imaging, and lifestyle data have been collected for the purpose of elucidating the pathological changes preceding dementia. This paper outlines the cardiovascular phenotyping performed in the follow-up visit of Insight 46, with the study participants now aged 74. In addition to standard cardiovascular assessments such as blood pressure measurements, echocardiography, and electrocardiography (ECG), functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been included to provide an assessment of cerebrovascular function. A detailed description of the fNIRS protocol along with preliminary results from pilot data is presented. The combination of lifestyle data, brain structure/function, cognitive performance, and cardiovascular health obtained not only from Insight 46, but also from the whole NSHD provides an exciting opportunity to advance our understanding of the cardiovascular mechanisms underlying dementia and cognitive decline, and identify novel targets for intervention.

Increased variability in reaction time is associated with amyloid beta pathology at age 70

INTRODUCTION

We investigated whether life-course factors and neuroimaging biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease pathology predict reaction time (RT) performance in older adults.

METHODS

Insight 46 study participants, all born in the same week in 1946 (n = 501; ages at assessment = 69 to 71 years), completed a 2-choice RT task and amyloid beta (Aβ) positron emission tomography and MR imaging. We tested for associations between task outcomes (RT; error rate; intra-individual variability in RT) and life-course predictors including childhood cognitive ability and education. In a subsample of 406 cognitively normal participants, we investigated associations between task outcomes and biomarkers including Aβ-positivity.

RESULTS

Cognitively normal Aβ-positive participants had 10% more variable RTs than Aβ-negative participants, despite having similar mean RTs. Childhood cognitive ability and education independently predicted task performance.

DISCUSSION

This study provides novel evidence that Aβ pathology is associated with poorer consistency of RT in cognitively normal older adults, at an age when dementia prevalence is still very low.

Olfactory testing does not predict β-amyloid, MRI measures of neurodegeneration or vascular pathology in the British 1946 birth cohort

Objective

To explore the value of olfactory identification deficits as a predictor of cerebral β-amyloid status and other markers of brain health in cognitively normal adults aged ~ 70 years.

Methods

Cross-sectional observational cohort study. 389 largely healthy and cognitively normal older adults were recruited from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (1946 British Birth cohort) and investigated for olfactory identification deficits, as measured by the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test. Outcome measures were imaging markers of brain health derived from 3 T MRI scanning (cortical thickness, entorhinal cortex thickness, white matter hyperintensity volumes); ¹⁸F florbetapir amyloid-PET scanning; and cognitive testing results. Participants were assessed at a single centre between March 2015 and January 2018.

Results

Mean (± SD) age was 70.6 (± 0.7) years, 50.8% were female. 64.5% had hyposmia and 2.6% anosmia. Olfaction showed no association with β-amyloid status, hippocampal volume, entorhinal cortex thickness, AD signature cortical thickness, white matter hyperintensity volume, or cognition.

Conclusion and relevance

In the early 70s, olfactory function is not a reliable predictor of a range of imaging and cognitive measures of preclinical AD. Olfactory identification deficits are not likely to be a useful means of identifying asymptomatic amyloidosis. Further studies are required to assess if change in olfaction may be a proximity marker for the development of cognitive impairment.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00415-020-10004-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Diet quality in late midlife is associated with faster walking speed in later life in women, but not men: findings from a prospective British birth cohort

Healthy diet has been linked to better age-related functioning, but evidence on the relationship of diet quality in late midlife and measures of physical capability in later life is limited. Research on potential sex differences in this relationship is scarce. The aim was to investigate the prospective association between overall diet quality, as assessed by the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) at 60-64 years and measures of walking speed 7 years later, among men and women from the Insight 46, a neuroscience sub-study of the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development. Diet was assessed at 60-64 years using 5-d food diaries, from which total HEI-2015 was calculated. At 69-71 years, walking speed was estimated during four 10-m walks at self-selected pace, using inertial measurement units. Multivariable linear regression models with sex as a modifier, controlling for age, follow-up, lifestyle, health/social variables and physical performance, were used. The final sample consists of 164 women and 167 men (n 331). Women had higher HEI-2015 and slower walking speed than men. A 10-point increase in HEI-2015 was associated with faster walking speed among women (B 0·024, 95 % CI 0·006, 0·043), but not men. The association remained significant in the multivariable model (B 0·021, 95 % CI 0·003, 0·040). In women, higher diet quality in late midlife is associated with faster walking speed. A healthy diet in late midlife is likely to contribute towards better age-related physical capability, and sex differences are likely to affect this relationship.

Amyloid β influences the relationship between cortical thickness and vascular load

INTRODUCTION

Cortical thickness has been proposed as a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease (AD)- related neurodegeneration, but the nature of its relationship with amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition and white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) in cognitively normal adults is unclear.

METHODS

We investigated the influences of Aβ status (negative/positive) and WMHV on cortical thickness in 408 cognitively normal adults aged 69.2 to 71.9 years who underwent 18F-Florbetapir positron emission tomography (PET) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Two previously defined Alzheimer's disease (AD) cortical signature regions and the major cortical lobes were selected as regions of interest (ROIs) for cortical thickness.

RESULTS

Higher WMHV, but not Aβ status, predicted lower cortical thickness across all participants, in all ROIs. Conversely, when Aβ-positive participants were considered alone, higher WMHV predicted higher cortical thickness in a temporal AD-signature region.

DISCUSSION

WMHV may differentially influence cortical thickness depending on the presence or absence of Aβ, potentially reflecting different pathological mechanisms.