Publications by authors named "D H Hepp"

Background: Neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's disease (AD) co-pathology may contribute to disease progression and severity in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). This study aims to clarify whether a different pattern of neuroinflammation, such as alteration in microglial and astroglial morphology and distribution, is present in DLB cases with and without AD co-pathology.

Methods: The morphology and load (% area of immunopositivity) of total (Iba1) and reactive microglia (CD68 and HLA-DR), reactive astrocytes (GFAP) and proteinopathies of alpha-synuclein (KM51/pser129), amyloid-beta (6 F/3D) and p-tau (AT8) were assessed in a cohort of mixed DLB + AD (n = 35), pure DLB (n = 15), pure AD (n = 16) and control (n = 11) donors in limbic and neocortical brain regions using immunostaining, quantitative image analysis and confocal microscopy.

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An altered immune response has been identified as a pathophysiological factor in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to identify blood immunity-associated proteins that discriminate PD from controls and that are associated with long-term disease severity in PD patients. Immune response-derived proteins in blood plasma were measured using Proximity Extension Technology by OLINK in a cohort of PD patients (N = 66) and age-matched healthy controls (N = 52).

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Considering age to be the primary risk factor for developing Parkinson's disease and the observation that the Dutch population is rapidly aging, the parkinson prevalence is expected to increase over the coming years, as there is still no cure available for the disease. This has been confirmed by epidemiological data, which show a steady increase of the disease prevalence in the Netherlands for the period 2010-2021. Genetic risk factors only partially explain the disease pathogenesis.

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Background: Increased neurofilament levels in biofluids are commonly used as a proxy for neurodegeneration in several neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate the distribution of neurofilaments in the cerebral cortex of Parkinson's disease (PD), PD with dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) donors, and its association with pathology load and MRI measures of atrophy and diffusivity.

Methods: Using a within-subject post-mortem MRI-pathology approach, we included 9 PD, 12 PDD/DLB and 18 age-matched control donors.

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Deficits in cognitive functioning are a common yet poorly understood symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD). Recent studies have highlighted the importance of (dynamic) interactions between resting-state networks for cognition, which remains understudied in PD. We investigated how altered (dynamic) functional interactions between brain networks relate to cognitive dysfunction in PD patients.

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