From Mild Cognitive Impairment to Dementia: The Impact of Comorbid Conditions on Disease Conversion.

The conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia is influenced by several factors, including comorbid conditions such as metabolic and vascular diseases. Understanding the impact of these comorbidities can help in the disease management of patients with a higher risk of progressing to dementia, improving outcomes. In the current study, we aimed to analyze data from a large cohort of MCI (n = 188) by principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) to classify patients into distinct groups based on their comorbidity profile and to predict the risk of conversion to dementia.

Coupling motor evoked potentials and brain [F]FDG-PET in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: preliminary findings on disease severity.

Background: The diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is primarily clinical, supported by the electromyographic examination to reveal signs of lower motor neuron damage. Identifying reliable markers of upper motor neuron (UMN) involvement is challenging. On this regard, the role of transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced motor-evoked potentials (TMS-MEPs), and its relationship with UMN burden, is still under investigation.

Novel Therapeutic Strategies in Alzheimer's Disease: Pitfalls and Challenges of Anti-Amyloid Therapies and Beyond.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes a significant challenge to global healthcare systems, with limited effective treatments available. This review examines the landscape of novel therapeutic strategies for AD, focusing on the shortcomings of traditional therapies against amyloid-beta (Aβ) and exploring emerging alternatives. Despite decades of research emphasizing the role of Aβ accumulation in AD pathogenesis, clinical trials targeting Aβ have obtained disappointing results, highlighting the complexity of AD pathophysiology and the need for investigating other therapeutic approaches.

Characterization of the iPhone LiDAR-Based Sensing System for Vibration Measurement and Modal Analysis.

Portable depth sensing using time-of-flight LiDAR principles is available on iPhone 13 Pro and similar Apple mobile devices. This study sought to characterize the LiDAR sensing system for measuring full-field vibrations to support modal analysis. A vibrating target was employed to identify the limits and quality of the sensor in terms of noise, frequency, and range, and the results were compared to a laser displacement transducer.

Neuroinflammatory Pathways in the ALS-FTD Continuum: A Focus on Genetic Variants.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal dementia (FDT) are progressive neurodegenerative disorders that, in several cases, overlap in clinical presentation, and genetic and pathological disease mechanisms. About 10-15% of ALS cases and up to 40% of FTD are familial, usually with dominant traits. ALS and FTD, in several cases, share common gene mutations, such as in , , , , , , and .

FDG-PET markers of heterogeneity and different risk of progression in amnestic MCI.

Introduction: Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is emerging as a heterogeneous condition.

Methods: We looked at a cohort of N = 207 aMCI subjects, with baseline fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), T1 magnetic resonance imaging, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), apolipoprotein E (APOE), and neuropsychological assessment. An algorithm based on FDG-PET hypometabolism classified each subject into subtypes, then compared biomarker measures and clinical progression.

Investigating the Prognostic Role of Peripheral Inflammatory Markers in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Growing evidence suggests that neuroinflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Peripheral markers of inflammation, including blood cell counts and their ratios, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), have been reported as an easily accessible and reliable proxy of central nervous system inflammation. However, the role of peripheral inflammation in dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) still needs to be clarified.

A novel mutation in an Italian patient with non-fluent variant of primary progressive aphasia at onset: a longitudinal case report.

Objectives: We report the clinical presentation and evolution of a case with a novel Progranulin gene () mutation and non-fluent language disturbances at onset.

Materials And Methods: A 60 year-old, white patient was followed due to a history of language disturbances. Eighteen months after onset, the patient underwent FDG positron emission tomography (PET), and at month 24 was hospitalized to perform neuropsychological evaluation, brain 3 T MRI, lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, and genotyping.

Lifestyle Modulators of Neuroplasticity in Parkinson's Disease: Evidence in Human Neuroimaging Studies.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by both motor and non-motor symptoms. A progressive neuronal loss and the consequent clinical impairment lead to deleterious effects on daily living and quality of life. Despite effective symptomatic therapeutic approaches, no disease-modifying therapies are currently available.

New Insights into the Relationship between Nutrition and Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's Disease: Preventive and Therapeutic Perspectives.

Neurodegenerative diseases are progressive brain disorders characterized by inexorable synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss. Since the most consistent risk factor for developing neurodegenerative diseases is aging, the prevalence of these disorders is intended to increase with increasing life expectancy. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of neurodegenerative dementia, representing a significant medical, social, and economic burden worldwide.

The Need for Biomarkers in the ALS-FTD Spectrum: A Clinical Point of View on the Role of Proteomics.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are severely debilitating and progressive neurodegenerative disorders. A distinctive pathological feature of several neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS and FTD, is the deposition of aberrant protein inclusions in neuronal cells, which leads to cellular dysfunction and neuronal damage and loss. Despite this, to date, the biological process behind developing these protein inclusions must be better clarified, making the development of disease-modifying treatment impossible until this is done.

COVID-19 Vaccination and Late-Onset Myasthenia Gravis: A New Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare autoimmune disease that is potentially threatening for patient life. Auto-antibodies targeting structures of the neuromuscular junction, particularly the acetylcholine receptor (AchR), are often found in the serum of MG patients. New-onset MG after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination has rarely been reported since the introduction of vaccination.

Clinical relevance of single-subject brain metabolism patterns in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mutation carriers.

Background And Objectives: The ALS diagnosis requires an integrative approach, combining the clinical examination and supporting tests. Nevertheless, in several cases, the diagnosis proves to be suboptimal, and for this reason, new diagnostic methods and novel biomarkers are catching on. The F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG)-PET could be a helpful method, but it still requires additional research for sensitivity and specificity.

Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines: Spotlight on Neurological Complications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented demand on the global healthcare system. Remarkably, at the end of 2021, COVID-19 vaccines received approvals for human use in several countries worldwide. Since then, a solid base for response in the fight against the virus has been placed.

From Biomarkers to Precision Medicine in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Where Are We?

The biomarkers era grew in the last two decades when several technical and methodological advances have improved the research in neurodegenerative diseases [...

Brain metabolic connectivity reconfiguration in the semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia.

Functional network-level alterations in the semantic variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia (sv-PPA) are relevant to understanding the clinical features and the neural spreading of the pathology. We assessed the effect of neurodegeneration on brain systems reorganization in early sv-PPA, using advanced brain metabolic connectivity approaches. Forty-four subjects with sv-PPA and forty-four age-matched healthy controls (HC) were included.

Brain Metabolism and Amyloid Load in Individuals With Subjective Cognitive Decline or Pre-Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background And Objective: This was a multicenter study aimed at investigating the characteristics of cognitive decline, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and brain imaging in individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and subtle cognitive decline (pre-mild cognitive impairment [pre-MCI]).

Methods: Data were obtained from the Network-AD project (NET-2011-02346784). The included participants underwent baseline cognitive and neurobehavioral evaluation, FDG-PET, and amyloid PET.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Cognition of People with Dementia.

(1) Background: To limit the COVID-19 outbreak, the Italian government implemented social restrictions that may have had psychological and cognitive repercussions on people with dementia. We aimed to analyze cognitive decline during the pandemic year in people evaluated in a memory clinic in northern Italy, the epicenter of COVID-19 spread. (2) Methods: A single-center retrospective study was carried out, including individuals with annual follow-up evaluated in three different years (2020-GROUP, 2019-GROUP, 2018-GROUP).

Brain Molecular Connectivity in Neurodegenerative Conditions.

Positron emission tomography (PET) allows for the in vivo assessment of early brain functional and molecular changes in neurodegenerative conditions, representing a unique tool in the diagnostic workup. The increased use of multivariate PET imaging analysis approaches has provided the chance to investigate regional molecular processes and long-distance brain circuit functional interactions in the last decade. PET metabolic and neurotransmission connectome can reveal brain region interactions.

Brain Metabolism and Microglia Activation in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Combined [18F]FDG and [11C]-(R)-PK11195 PET Study.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional condition between normal cognition and dementia. [18F]FDG-PET reveals brain hypometabolism patterns reflecting neuronal/synaptic dysfunction, already in the prodromal MCI phase. Activated microglia is part of the pathogenetic processes leading to neurodegeneration.

COVID-19 pandemic-related anxiety, distress and burnout: prevalence and associated factors in healthcare workers of North-West Italy.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused drastic changes in healthcare and severe social restrictions. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are on the front line against the virus and have been highly exposed to pandemic-related stressors, but there are limited data on their psychological involvement for a large sample in Italy.

Aims: To investigate the prevalence of anxiety, distress and burnout in HCWs of North-West Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to detect potential psychosocial factors associated with their emotional response.

Biomarker-based stability in limbic-predominant amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Background: The amnestic presentation of mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) represents the most common prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. There is, however, some evidence of aMCI with typical amnestic syndrome but showing long-term clinical stability. The ability to predict stability or progression to dementia in the aMCI condition is important, particularly for the selection of candidates in clinical trials.

C-PK11195 PET-based molecular study of microglia activation in SOD1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Objective: Neuroinflammation is considered a key driver for neurodegeneration in several neurological diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). SOD1 mutations cause about 20% of familial ALS, and related pathology might generate microglial activation triggering neurodegeneration. C-PK11195 is the prototypical and most validated PET radiotracer, targeting the 18-kDa translocator protein which is overexpressed in activated microglia.