Publications by authors named "K Wittfeld"
Article Synopsis
- - White matter hyperintensities indicate damage in the brain's white matter, which can lead to brain shrinkage and is linked to dementia; a study of over 51,000 people found that larger volumes of these hyperintensities correspond to thinner brain cortex.
- - Researchers identified 20 significant genetic loci related to white matter hyperintensities that affect genes involved in brain cell types known to support vascular health and neuronal function; some of these genes play roles in processes like axonal structure and transport within the brain.
- - The genetic traits tied to white matter issues were linked to cardiovascular health, neurodegeneration markers, and poorer cognitive performance, with a polygenic risk score effectively predicting dementia risk in a separate large
Article Synopsis
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibits varied brain atrophy patterns, identified through a semi-supervised learning technique (Surreal-GAN) that distinguishes between "diffuse-AD" (widespread atrophy) and "MTL-AD" (focal atrophy in the medial temporal lobe) dimensions in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD.
- Only the "MTL-AD" dimension was linked to known AD genetic risk factors like APOE ε4, and both dimensions were later detected in asymptomatic individuals, revealing their association with different genetic and pathological mechanisms.
- Aside from brain-related genes, up to 77 additional genes were identified in various organs, pointing to broader
Circulating miRNAs modulating systemic low-grade inflammation and affecting neurodegeneration.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry
December 2024
Objective And Design: Inflammatory processes are an important part of the etiology of many chronic diseases across various medical domains, including neurodegeneration. Understanding their regulation on the molecular level represents a major challenge. Regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs), have been recognized for their role in post-transcriptionally modulating immune-related pathways serving as biomarkers for numerous diseases.
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- - The aging process of the brain is affected by lifestyle, environmental, genetic factors, and age-related diseases, with advanced imaging and AI techniques helping to reveal the complexities of neuroanatomical changes.
- - A study involving nearly 50,000 participants identified five major patterns of brain atrophy, which are quantified using R-indices to analyze their connections to various biomedical, lifestyle, and genetic factors.
- - These R-indices not only predict disease progression and mortality but also offer a new, nuanced framework for understanding brain aging, which may enhance personalized diagnostics and improve clinical trial strategies.
Cardiovascular risk and preclinical atherosclerosis are associated with white matter hyperintensities in apparently healthy adults: the population-based cross-sectional BIALYSTOK PLUS study.
Pol Arch Intern Med
September 2024
Introduction: White matter hyperintensities, present in patients and asymptomatic individuals, have been previously shown to be associated with atherosclerosis risk factors, such as high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and diabetes.
Objectives: Our aim was to examine the associations between the volume of white matter hyperintensities and cardiovascular risk factors in the general, apparently healthy population.
Patients And Methods: The analysis includes 735 participants (aged 20 to 79 years) without neurological or severe cardiac diseases.