The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a pivotal role in protecting the central nervous system (CNS), and shielding it from potential harmful entities. A natural decline of BBB function with aging has been reported in both animal and human studies, which may contribute to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders. Limited data also suggest that being female may be associated with protective effects on BBB function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResting-state functional connectivity (FC) is suggested to be cross-sectionally associated with both vascular burden and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. For instance, studies in pre-clinical AD subjects have shown increases of cerebral spinal fluid soluble platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (CSF sPDGFRβ, a marker of BBB breakdown) but have not demonstrated if this vascular impairment affects neuronal dysfunction. It's possible that increased levels of sPDGFRβ in the CSF may correlate with impaired FC in metabolically demanding brain regions (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFacebook is one of the most popular social networking sites. However, Facebook intrusion or addiction is a growing concern as it involves an excessive attachment to Facebook, which disrupts daily functioning. To date, few studies have examined whether cross-cultural differences in the measurement of Facebook addiction exist.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Tau-positron emission tomography (PET) outcome data of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) cannot currently be meaningfully compared or combined when different tracers are used due to differences in tracer properties, instrumentation, and methods of analysis.
Methods: Using head-to-head data from five cohorts with tau PET radiotracers designed to target tau deposition in AD, we tested a joint propagation model (JPM) to harmonize quantification (units termed "CenTauR" [CTR]). JPM is a statistical model that simultaneously models the relationships between head-to-head and anchor point data.