Publications by authors named "Kala Kirby"
Background: As literature suggests that Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (EOAD) and late-onset AD may differ in important ways, need exists for randomized clinical trials for treatments tailored to EOAD. Accurately measuring reliable cognitive change in individual patients with EOAD will have great value for these trials.
Objectives: The current study sought to characterize and validate 12-month reliable change from the Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study (LEADS) neuropsychological battery.
Introduction: Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) manifests prior to the age of 65, and affects 4%-8% of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current analyses sought to examine longitudinal cognitive trajectories of participants with early-onset dementia.
Methods: Data from 307 cognitively normal (CN) volunteer participants and those with amyloid-positive EOAD or amyloid-negative cognitive impairment (EOnonAD) were compared.
Introduction: Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) and late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) share similar amyloid etiology, but evidence from smaller-scale studies suggests that they manifest differently clinically. Current analyses sought to contrast the cognitive profiles of EOAD and LOAD.
Methods: Z-score cognitive-domain composites for 311 amyloid-positive sporadic EOAD and 314 amyloid-positive LOAD participants were calculated from baseline data from age-appropriate control cohorts.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on analyzing baseline amyloid-beta and tau-PET scans in participants with early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) to improve diagnostic understanding.* -
- Out of the 321 cognitively impaired participants, 75.7% were classified as having EOAD based on amyloid-PET, with 95.1% of them also showing elevated tau-PET signals, particularly in younger and female subjects.* -
- The findings highlight the significance of using these biomarkers for more accurate EOAD diagnoses and suggest potential implications for treatment strategies based on tau-PET levels.*
Article Synopsis
- The study examines the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) as a tool for assessing memory impairment in early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD), focusing on the effects of amyloid presence and diagnostic syndrome.
- RAVLT recordings from 303 participants were analyzed, revealing that amyloid-positive individuals showed significant differences in memory performance compared to amyloid-negative individuals, including effects on raw scores and timing measures.
- The findings suggest that RAVLT is sensitive to variations in memory impairment linked to amyloid and syndrome types in EOAD, highlighting the need for further research to understand the predictive capabilities of these memory scores.
Article Synopsis
- The Longitudinal Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study (LEADS) aims to identify fluid biomarker characteristics specific to early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD).
- The study measured various cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in 165 participants, finding significant differences in certain biomarker levels between EOAD, cognitively normal individuals, and those with early-onset non-AD dementia.
- The results highlight the correlation between biomarkers and cognitive performance, particularly within the EOAD group, providing valuable insights for future clinical trials targeting sporadic EOAD.
Introduction: We compared white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) with cognitively normal (CN) and early-onset amyloid-negative cognitively impaired (EOnonAD) groups in the Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study.
Methods: We investigated the role of increased WMH in cognition and amyloid and tau burden. We compared WMH burden of 205 EOAD, 68 EOnonAD, and 89 CN participants in lobar regions using t-tests and analyses of covariance.
Introduction: We examined neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and psychotropic medication use in a large sample of individuals with early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD; onset 40-64 years) at the midway point of data collection for the Longitudinal Early-onset Alzheimer's Disease Study (LEADS).
Methods: Baseline NPS (Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Questionnaire; Geriatric Depression Scale) and psychotropic medication use from 282 participants enrolled in LEADS were compared across diagnostic groups - amyloid-positive EOAD (n = 212) and amyloid negative early-onset non-Alzheimer's disease (EOnonAD; n = 70).
Results: Affective behaviors were the most common NPS in EOAD at similar frequencies to EOnonAD.
Objective: The Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study (LEADS) seeks to provide comprehensive understanding of early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD; onset <65 years), with the current study profiling baseline clinical, cognitive, biomarker, and genetic characteristics of the cohort nearing the data-collection mid-point.
Methods: Data from 371 LEADS participants were compared based on diagnostic group classification (cognitively normal [n = 89], amyloid-positive EOAD [n = 212], and amyloid-negative early-onset non-Alzheimer's disease [EOnonAD; n = 70]).
Results: Cognitive performance was worse for EOAD than other groups, and EOAD participants were apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 homozygotes at higher rates.
Objective: Investigation of learning slopes in early-onset dementias has been limited. The current study aimed to highlight the sensitivity of learning slopes to discriminate disease severity in cognitively normal participants and those diagnosed with early-onset dementia with and without β-amyloid positivity METHOD: Data from 310 participants in the Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study (aged 41 to 65) were used to calculate learning slope metrics. Learning slopes among diagnostic groups were compared, and the relationships of slopes with standard memory measures were determined RESULTS: Worse learning slopes were associated with more severe disease states, even after controlling for demographics, total learning, and cognitive severity.
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