Publications by authors named "Alefiya D Albers"

Cost-effective, noninvasive screening methods for preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurocognitive disorders remain an unmet need. The olfactory neural circuits develop AD pathological changes prior to symptom onset. To probe these vulnerable circuits, we developed the digital remote AROMHA Brain Health Test (ABHT), an at-home odor identification, discrimination, memory, and intensity assessment.

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Background: Olfactory dysfunction is one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD), highlighting its potential use as a biomarker for early detection. It has also been linked to progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia.

Objective: To study olfactory function and its associations with markers of AD brain pathology in non-demented mutation carriers of an autosomal dominant AD (ADAD) mutation and non-carrier family members.

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Triggers of innate immune signaling in the CNS of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal degeneration (ALS/FTD) remain elusive. We report the presence of cytoplasmic double-stranded RNA (cdsRNA), an established trigger of innate immunity, in ALS-FTD brains carrying intronic hexanucleotide expansions that included genomically encoded expansions of the GC repeat sequences. The presence of cdsRNA in human brains was coincident with cytoplasmic TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) inclusions, a pathologic hallmark of ALS/FTD.

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Article Synopsis
  • Post-infectious anosmias occur after the death of olfactory sensory neurons, but COVID-19 patients often regain their sense of smell quickly, typically within days to weeks.
  • Research shows that inflammation from COVID-19 may reduce the expression of odorant receptors in the nose, leading to weakened odor discrimination despite the olfactory circuit remaining intact.
  • Patients infected with COVID-19 report lower intensity in odors and have difficulties in distinguishing different smells compared to those who tested negative for the virus.
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