Locus coeruleus signal intensity and emotion regulation in agitation in Alzheimer's disease.

Hyperphosphorylated tau accumulation is seen in the noradrenergic locus coeruleus from the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease onwards and has been associated with symptoms of agitation. It is hypothesized that compensatory locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system overactivity and impaired emotion regulation could underlie agitation propensity, but to our knowledge this has not previously been investigated. A better understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of agitation would help the development of targeted prevention and treatment strategies.

Plasma extracellular vesicle tau and TDP-43 as diagnostic biomarkers in FTD and ALS.

Minimally invasive biomarkers are urgently needed to detect molecular pathology in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here, we show that plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain quantifiable amounts of TDP-43 and full-length tau, which allow the quantification of 3-repeat (3R) and 4-repeat (4R) tau isoforms. Plasma EV TDP-43 levels and EV 3R/4R tau ratios were determined in a cohort of 704 patients, including 37 genetically and 31 neuropathologically proven cases.

Symptomatic Clusters Related to Amyloid Positivity in Cognitively Unimpaired Individuals.

Background: The NIA-AA Research Framework on Alzheimer's disease (AD) proposes a transitional stage (stage 2) characterized by subtle cognitive decline, subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild neurobehavioral symptoms (NPS).

Objective: To identify participant clusters based on stage 2 features and assess their association with amyloid positivity in cognitively unimpaired individuals.

Methods: We included baseline data of N = 338 cognitively unimpaired participants from the DELCODE cohort with data on cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for AD.

Inferior Frontal Sulcal Hyperintensities on Brain MRI Are Associated with Amyloid Positivity beyond Age-Results from the Multicentre Observational DELCODE Study.

Inferior frontal sulcal hyperintensities (IFSHs) on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences have been proposed to be indicative of glymphatic dysfunction. Replication studies in large and diverse samples are nonetheless needed to confirm them as an imaging biomarker. We investigated whether IFSHs were tied to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and cognitive performance.

Fornix fractional anisotropy mediates the association between Mediterranean diet adherence and memory four years later in older adults without dementia.

Here, we investigated whether fractional anisotropy (FA) of hippocampus-relevant white-matter tracts mediates the association between baseline Mediterranean diet adherence (MeDiAd) and verbal episodic memory over four years. Participants were healthy older adults with and without subjective cognitive decline and patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment from the DELCODE cohort study (n = 376; age: 71.47 ± 6.

Fronto-striatal alterations correlate with apathy severity in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia.

Structural and functional changes in cortical and subcortical regions have been reported in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), however, a multimodal approach may provide deeper insights into the neural correlates of neuropsychiatric symptoms. In this multicenter study, we measured cortical thickness (CTh) and subcortical volumes to identify structural abnormalities in 37 bvFTD patients, and 37 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. For seed regions with significant structural changes, whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) was examined in a sub-cohort of N = 22 bvFTD and N = 22 matched control subjects to detect complementary alterations in brain network organization.

Cognitive Trajectories in Preclinical and Prodromal Alzheimer's Disease Related to Amyloid Status and Brain Atrophy: A Bayesian Approach.

Background: Cognitive decline is a key outcome of clinical studies in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Objective: To determine effects of global amyloid load as well as hippocampus and basal forebrain volumes on longitudinal rates and practice effects from repeated testing of domain specific cognitive change in the AD spectrum, considering non-linear effects and heterogeneity across cohorts.

Methods: We included 1,514 cases from three cohorts, ADNI, AIBL, and DELCODE, spanning the range from cognitively normal people to people with subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Relevance of Minor Neuropsychological Deficits in Patients With Subjective Cognitive Decline.

Background And Objectives: To determine the relevance of minor neuropsychological deficits (MNPD) in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) with regard to CSF levels of Alzheimer disease (AD) biomarkers, cognitive decline, and clinical progression to mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: This study included patients with clinical SCD and SCD-free, healthy control (HC) participants with available baseline CSF and/or longitudinal cognitive data from the observational study. We defined MNPD as a performance of at least 0.

Linking early-life bilingualism and cognitive advantage in older adulthood.

Previous studies have identified bilingualism as a protective factor against dementia. Here we aimed to test whether being bilingual at different life stages impacts cognition and brain structure in older adulthood. We included 746 participants from the DZNE-Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study (DELCODE).

Musical Activity During Life Is Associated With Multi-Domain Cognitive and Brain Benefits in Older Adults.

Regular musical activity as a complex multimodal lifestyle activity is proposed to be protective against age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. This cross-sectional study investigated the association and interplay between musical instrument playing during life, multi-domain cognitive abilities and brain morphology in older adults (OA) from the DZNE-Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study (DELCODE) study. Participants reporting having played a musical instrument across three life periods ( = 70) were compared to controls without a history of musical instrument playing ( = 70), well-matched for reserve proxies of education, intelligence, socioeconomic status and physical activity.

Mediterranean Diet, Alzheimer Disease Biomarkers and Brain Atrophy in Old Age.

Objective: To determine whether following a Mediterranean-like diet (MeDi) relates to cognitive functions and in vivo biomarkers for Alzheimer disease (AD), we analyzed cross-sectional data from the German DZNE-Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study. METHOD: The sample (n=512, mean age: 69.5±5.

Multimodal MRI analysis of basal forebrain structure and function across the Alzheimer's disease spectrum.

Background: Dysfunction of the cholinergic basal forebrain (cBF) is associated with cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Multimodal MRI allows for the investigation of cBF changes in-vivo. In this study we assessed alterations in cBF functional connectivity (FC), mean diffusivity (MD), and volume across the spectrum of AD.

Minor neuropsychological deficits in patients with subjective cognitive decline.

Objective: To determine the nature and extent of minor neuropsychological deficits in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and their association with CSF biomarkers of Alzheimer disease (AD).

Method: We analyzed data from n = 449 cognitively normal participants (n = 209 healthy controls, n = 240 patients with SCD) from an interim data release of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study (DELCODE). An extensive neuropsychological test battery was applied at baseline for which we established a latent, 5 cognitive domain factor structure comprising learning and memory, executive functions, language abilities, working memory, and visuospatial functions.

Antisaccade and prosaccade eye movements in individuals clinically at risk for psychosis: comparison with first-episode schizophrenia and prediction of conversion.

Saccadic eye movements are well-described markers of cerebral function and have been widely studied in schizophrenia spectrum populations. However, less is known about saccades in individuals clinically at risk for schizophrenia. Therefore, we studied individuals in an at-risk mental state (ARMS) (N = 160), patients in their first episode of schizophrenia (N = 32) and healthy controls (N = 75).

Selective attention to smoking cues in former smokers.

Repeated drug use modifies the emotional and cognitive processing of drug-associated cues. These changes are supposed to persist even after prolonged abstinence. Several studies demonstrated that smoking cues selectively attract the attention of smokers, but empirical evidence for such an attentional bias among successful quitters is inconclusive.

Cognitive Complaints in Memory Clinic Patients and in Depressive Patients: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Background And Objectives: Cognitive complaints are discussed as early signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, they are also very common in cognitively normal older adults and in patients with depression. Qualitative, interview-based approaches might be useful to identify those features of cognitive complaints specific for the experiences of cognitive decline in preclinical or prodromal AD versus those complaints typically reported by depressed patients.

Different Cognitive Complaint Profiles in Memory Clinic and Depressive Patients.

Objective: Cognitive complaints are considered early indicators of incipient Alzheimer's disease (AD) but are very common in geriatric patients, especially in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The clinical assessment of cognitive complaints is still poorly operationalized. Recent qualitative research suggests that certain phenomenologic complaint themes may have some specificity for prodromal AD.

Face-Name Associative Recognition Deficits in Subjective Cognitive Decline and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background: There is a need for more sensitive neuropsychological tests to detect subtle cognitive deficits emerging in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Associative memory is a cognitive function supported by the hippocampus and affected early in the process of AD.

Objective: We developed a short computerized face-name associative recognition test (FNART) and tested whether it would detect memory impairment in memory clinic patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD).

Feature Binding Deficits in Subjective Cognitive Decline and in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background: Feature binding is a sensitive and specific cognitive marker for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are clinical categories associated with an increased risk for AD.

Objective: To investigate whether the SCD and MCI group are impaired with regard to feature binding.

Subjective Cognitive Decline from a Phenomenological Perspective: A Review of the Qualitative Literature.

Background: Subjective cognitive decline is related to greater risk of dementia and biological markers of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but researchers are yet to characterize the phenomenological perspective of cognitive decline in those with and without a diagnosis of AD.

Objective: To collate and synthesize studies measuring the subjective experience of cognitive change or decline in healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment and AD.

Methods: We reviewed 58 peer-reviewed articles that were found to directly or indirectly refer to the subjective experience of cognitive decline.

[Neuropsychological Functioning as a Predictor of Treatment Response to Psychoeducational, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in People at Clinical High Risk of First Episode Psychosis].

Objective: Investigate whether treatment response in people at clinical high risk of psychosis (CHR) is predicted by their cognitive performance.

Method: 128 CHR outpatients were randomized into two treatment groups, one receiving integrated psychological intervention (IPI), including psychoeducation, the other receiving supportive counselling (SC) for 12 months. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify neurocognitive predictors of treatment response in a subgroup of n = 105, measured by symptomatic and functional improvement at 1-year follow-up.

Predisposing and precipitating factors of delirium after cardiac surgery: a prospective observational cohort study.

Objective: To comprehensively assess pre-, intra-, and postoperative delirium risk factors as potential targets for intervention.

Background: Delirium after cardiac surgery is associated with longer intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and poorer functional and cognitive outcomes. Reports on delirium risk factors so far did not cover the full range of patients' presurgical conditions, intraoperative factors, and postoperative course.

Nicotine enhances antisaccade performance in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.

Nicotine has been proposed to be a cognitive enhancer, particularly in schizophrenia patients. So far, the published studies of nicotine effects on antisaccade performance in schizophrenia patients only tested participants who were deprived smokers. Thus, we aimed to test both smoking and non-smoking patients as well as healthy controls in order to extend previous findings.