1,231 results match your criteria: "UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL[Affiliation]"

Profiling amyloid-β peptides as biomarkers for cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

J Neurochem

July 2024

Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Brain amyloid-β (Aβ) deposits are key pathological hallmarks of both cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Microvascular deposits in CAA mainly consist of the Aβ peptide, whereas Aβ is the predominant variant in parenchymal plaques in AD. The relevance in pathogenesis and diagnostic accuracy of various other Aβ isoforms in CAA remain understudied.

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Introduction: Neurogranin (Ng) is considered a biomarker for synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In contrast, the inflammasome complex has been shown to exacerbate AD pathology.

Methods: We investigated the protein expression, morphological differences of Ng, and correlated Ng to hyperphosphorylated tau in the brains of 17 AD cases and 17 age- and sex-matched controls.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study measured serum NfL levels in 59 gene carriers over several years and found that higher NfL concentrations correlate with more severe disease symptoms and can distinguish between presymptomatic and symptomatic individuals.
  • * NfL levels not only help assess disease progression but also indicate treatment effectiveness, as levels decreased with therapy and showed a correlation with the suppression of transthyretin (TTR), a key protein involved in this condition.
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Longitudinal progression of blood biomarkers reveals a key role of astrocyte reactivity in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

medRxiv

January 2024

Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Section, Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.

Defining the progression of blood biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is essential for targeting treatments in patients most likely to benefit from early intervention. We delineated the temporal ordering of blood biomarkers a decade prior to the onset of AD symptoms in participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. We show that increased astrocyte reactivity, assessed by elevated glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels is an early event in the progression of blood biomarker changes in preclinical AD.

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Article Synopsis
  • Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) is linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and is characterized by neurobehavioral dysregulation (NBD), impacting emotional and behavioral regulation in individuals exposed to repetitive head impacts, like former American football players.
  • The study involved 104 former players diagnosed with NBD, 76 without the diagnosis, and 55 unexposed individuals, using self-report measures to assess NBD symptoms and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers associated with inflammation.
  • Results indicated that levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 were significantly higher in former players, suggesting a connection between these inflammation markers and NBD symptoms linked to past head impacts.
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Vascular risk burden is a key player in the early progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Neurobiol Aging

April 2024

Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Pharmacology and Therapeuctis, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers found that a higher VRF burden is linked to increased neurodegeneration and cognitive decline over time, indicating these factors work together to worsen AD.
  • * Despite VRFs and AD pathophysiology operating independently, combining treatments aimed at both could improve outcomes for individuals at risk for AD, especially in its early stages.
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Synaptic dysfunction and degeneration is likely the key pathophysiology for the progression of cognitive decline in various dementia disorders. Synaptic status can be monitored by measuring synaptic proteins in CSF. In this study, both known and new synaptic proteins were investigated and compared as potential biomarkers of synaptic dysfunction, particularly in the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

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Plasma p-tau181 as an outcome and predictor of multidomain intervention effects: a secondary analysis of a randomised, controlled, dementia prevention trial.

Lancet Healthy Longev

February 2024

Centre for Epidemiology and Research in Population Health, INSERM-University of Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France; Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Toulouse University Hospital, Toulouse, France.

Background: It is unknown whether multidomain interventions, which might preserve late-life cognition, affect Alzheimer's disease pathology. Previous studies measured cerebrospinal fluid and imaging Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in small subsamples of multidomain trial participants. Newly developed assays enable the measurement of blood-based Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in larger samples.

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Spatial Neurolipidomics at the Single Amyloid-β Plaque Level in Postmortem Human Alzheimer's Disease Brain.

ACS Chem Neurosci

February 2024

Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal 43180, Sweden.

Lipid dysregulations have been critically implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Chemical analysis of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque pathology in transgenic AD mouse models has demonstrated alterations in the microenvironment in the direct proximity of Aβ plaque pathology. In mouse studies, differences in lipid patterns linked to structural polymorphism among Aβ pathology, such as diffuse, immature, and mature fibrillary aggregates, have also been reported.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized pathologically by amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition in brain parenchyma and blood vessels (as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA)) and by neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau. Compelling genetic and biomarker evidence supports Aβ as the root cause of AD. We previously reported human transmission of Aβ pathology and CAA in relatively young adults who had died of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (iCJD) after childhood treatment with cadaver-derived pituitary growth hormone (c-hGH) contaminated with both CJD prions and Aβ seeds.

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NfL reliability across laboratories, stage-dependent diagnostic performance and matrix comparability in genetic FTD: a large GENFI study.

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry

August 2024

Division Translational Genomics of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

Background: Blood neurofilament light chain (NfL) is increasingly considered as a key trial biomarker in genetic frontotemporal dementia (gFTD). We aimed to facilitate the use of NfL in gFTD multicentre trials by testing its (1) reliability across labs; (2) reliability to stratify gFTD disease stages; (3) comparability between blood matrices and (4) stability across recruiting sites.

Methods: Comparative analysis of blood NfL levels in a large gFTD cohort (GENFI) for (1)-(4), with n=344 samples (n=148 presymptomatic, n=11 converter, n=46 symptomatic subjects, with mutations in , or ; and n=139 within-family controls), each measured in three different international labs by Simoa HD-1 analyzer.

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Blood-based biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease - moving towards a new era of diagnostics.

Clin Chem Lab Med

May 2024

Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a primary cause of dementia globally, is traditionally diagnosed via cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) measures and positron emission tomography (PET). The invasiveness, cost, and limited accessibility of these methods have led to exploring blood-based biomarkers as a promising alternative for AD diagnosis and monitoring. Recent advancements in sensitive immunoassays have identified potential blood-based biomarkers, such as Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) species.

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Article Synopsis
  • Phosphorylated tau (p-tau) is a key blood biomarker for detecting Alzheimer disease (AD), with p-tau217 being particularly useful; however, access to p-tau217 tests has been limited, hindering research and clinical applications.
  • The study aimed to evaluate a new commercial immunoassay for plasma p-tau217, focusing on its ability to detect AD pathology and establish reference ranges for abnormal amyloid β (Aβ) across three different cohorts.
  • Involving 786 participants, the study found that plasma p-tau217 demonstrated high accuracy (AUC 0.92-0.96) in identifying elevated Aβ and tau pathology, suggesting its effectiveness as
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Alzheimer's Disease Biomarker Analysis Using Targeted Mass Spectrometry.

Mol Cell Proteomics

February 2024

Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden; Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK; Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Electronic address:

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by several neuropathological changes, mainly extracellular amyloid aggregates (plaques), intraneuronal inclusions of phosphorylated tau (tangles), as well as neuronal and synaptic degeneration, accompanied by tissue reactions to these processes (astrocytosis and microglial activation) that precede neuronal network disturbances in the symptomatic phase of the disease. A number of biomarkers for these brain tissue changes have been developed, mainly using immunoassays. In this review, we discuss how targeted mass spectrometry (TMS) can be used to validate and further characterize classes of biomarkers reflecting different AD pathologies, such as tau- and amyloid-beta pathologies, synaptic dysfunction, lysosomal dysregulation, and axonal damage, and the prospect of using TMS to measure these proteins in clinical research and diagnosis.

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A proportion of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 experience a range of neuropsychiatric symptoms months after infection, including cognitive deficits, depression and anxiety. The mechanisms underpinning such symptoms remain elusive. Recent research has demonstrated that nervous system injury can occur during COVID-19.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is currently constrained by limited clinical treatment options. The initial pathophysiological event, which can be traced back to decades before the clinical symptoms become apparent, involves the excessive accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ), a peptide comprised of 40-42 amino acids, in extraneuronal plaques within the brain. Biochemical and histological studies have shown that overaccumulation of Aβ instigates an aberrant escalation in the phosphorylation and secretion of tau, a microtubule-binding axonal protein.

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Cholinesterase inhibitors are associated with reduced mortality in patients with Alzheimer's disease and previous myocardial infarction.

Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Pharmacother

February 2024

Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden.

Article Synopsis
  • Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) are used as the primary treatment for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may also influence heart function.
  • A study evaluated the effects of ChEIs on patients with AD who had previously experienced a myocardial infarction (heart attack), using a large dataset from the Swedish Dementia Registry.
  • Results showed that ChEI treatment was linked to a lower risk of all-cause death, particularly among patients taking higher doses, suggesting a potential benefit for those with a history of heart issues.
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Diagnostic accuracy of research criteria for prodromal frontotemporal dementia.

Alzheimers Res Ther

January 2024

Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, P.le Spedali Civili 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy.

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to validate clinical criteria for diagnosing mild cognitive and/or behavioral and/or motor impairment (MCBMI) in cases suspected of frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
  • A total of 398 participants were studied, including 117 FTD variant carriers with mild symptoms and 281 healthy controls, with some undergoing additional neurobiological assessments.
  • The MCBMI criteria effectively distinguished between affected individuals and healthy controls, with classification accuracy improving significantly when incorporating blood neurofilament light levels and anterior cingulate atrophy measurements.
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Up-regulated Gene clone 7 (URG7) is a protein localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and overexpressed in liver cells upon hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Its activity has been related to the attenuation of ER stress resulting from HBV infection, promoting protein folding and ubiquitination and reducing cell apoptosis overall. While the antiapoptotic activity of URG7 in HBV-infected cells may have negative implications, this effect could be exploited positively in the field of proteinopathies, such as neurodegenerative diseases.

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Early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) relies on clinical evaluation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. Reliable biomarkers are needed to differentiate MS from other neurological conditions and to define the underlying pathogenesis. This study aimed to comprehensively profile immune activation biomarkers in the CSF of individuals with MS and explore distinct signatures between MS with and without oligoclonal bands (OCB).

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Background And Objective: Phosphorylated tau (p-tau) 217 has recently received attention because it seems more reliable than other p-tau variants for identifying Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Thus, we aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of plasma and CSF p-tau217 with p-tau181 and p-tau231 in a memory clinic cohort.

Methods: The study included 114 participants (CU = 33; MCI = 67; Dementia = 14).

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Comparison of immunoassay- with mass spectrometry-derived p-tau quantification for the detection of Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Mol Neurodegener

January 2024

Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit, Douglas Research Institute, Le Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé Et de Services Sociaux (CIUSSS) de l'Ouest-de-L'Île-de-Montréal, 6875 La Salle Blvd - FBC Room 3149, Montréal, Québec, H4H 1R3, Canada.

Article Synopsis
  • Antibody-based immunoassays effectively measure low levels of phosphorylated tau (p-tau) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), aiding Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis, and are compared to mass spectrometry for performance evaluation.
  • The study involved 567 participants and used both techniques to analyze p-tau concentrations, alongside clinical evaluations and PET scans for amyloid and tau.
  • Results indicate that while immunoassays show slightly superior diagnostic performance compared to mass spectrometry, the latter offers the advantage of assessing multiple biomarkers simultaneously, warranting further investigation.
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Breakdown of the neurovascular unit is associated with blood-brain barrier (BBB) leakiness contributing to cognitive decline and disease pathology in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Vascular stability depends on angiopoietin-1 (ANGPT-1) signalling, antagonised by angiopoietin-2 (ANGPT-2) expressed upon endothelial injury. We examined the relationship between CSF ANGPT-2 and CSF markers of BBB leakiness and core AD biomarkers across three independent cohorts: (i) 31 AD patients and 33 healthy controls grouped according to their biomarker profile (i.

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Elevated CSF GAP-43 is associated with accelerated tau accumulation and spread in Alzheimer's disease.

Nat Commun

January 2024

University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Mölndal and Gothenburg, Sweden.

Article Synopsis
  • - In Alzheimer's disease, amyloid-beta (Aβ) causes tau pathology to spread through the brain, and abnormal synaptic activity contributes to this process.
  • - The study examined 93 patients and found that higher levels of the presynaptic protein GAP-43, which indicates synaptic changes, were linked to quicker tau accumulation related to Aβ.
  • - The results suggest that targeting synapses could be a potential strategy for preventing the spread of tau pathology in Alzheimer's, highlighting the connection between synaptic changes and tau spread.
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Concentrations of S100B and neurofilament light chain in blood as biomarkers for checkpoint inhibitor-induced CNS inflammation.

EBioMedicine

February 2024

Department of Oncology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Oncology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine/Wallenberg Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Background: Cancer treatment with immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) can cause immune-related adverse events in the central nervous system (CNS irAE). There are no blood biomarkers to detect CNS irAE. We investigated if concentrations of S100-calcium-binding protein B (S100B) and neurofilament light chain (NfL) in blood can be used as biomarkers for CNS irAE and assessed the incidence of CNS irAE in a cohort of ICI-treated patients.

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