4 research outputs found
The Cortical Signature of Alzheimer's Disease: Regionally Specific Cortical Thinning Relates to Symptom Severity in Very Mild to Mild AD Dementia and is Detectable in Asymptomatic Amyloid-Positive Individuals
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with neurodegeneration in vulnerable limbic and heteromodal regions of the cerebral cortex, detectable in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging. It is not clear whether abnormalities of cortical anatomy in AD can be reliably measured across different subject samples, how closely they track symptoms, and whether they are detectable prior to symptoms. An exploratory map of cortical thinning in mild AD was used to define regions of interest that were applied in a hypothesis-driven fashion to other subject samples. Results demonstrate a reliably quantifiable in vivo signature of abnormal cortical anatomy in AD, which parallels known regional vulnerability to AD neuropathology. Thinning in vulnerable cortical regions relates to symptom severity even in the earliest stages of clinical symptoms. Furthermore, subtle thinning is present in asymptomatic older controls with brain amyloid binding as detected with amyloid imaging. The reliability and clinical validity of AD-related cortical thinning suggests potential utility as an imaging biomarker. This ādisease signatureā approach to cortical morphometry, in which disease effects are mapped across the cortical mantle and then used to define ROIs for hypothesis-driven analyses, may provide a powerful methodological framework for studies of neuropsychiatric diseases
The Consortium on Health and Ageing: Network of Cohorts in Europe and the United States (CHANCES) project-design, population and data harmonization of a large-scale, international study
There is a public health demand to prevent health conditions which lead
to increased morbidity and mortality among the rapidly-increasing
elderly population. Data for the incidence of such conditions exist in
cohort studies worldwide, which, however, differ in various aspects. The
Consortium on Health and Ageing: Network of Cohorts in Europe and the
United States (CHANCES) project aims at harmonizing data from existing
major longitudinal studies for the elderly whilst focussing on
cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, cancer, fractures and
cognitive impairment in order to estimate their prevalence, incidence
and cause-specific mortality, and identify lifestyle, socioeconomic, and
genetic determinants and biomarkers for the incidence of and mortality
from these conditions. A survey instrument assessing ageing-related
conditions of the elderly will be also developed. Fourteen cohort
studies participate in CHANCES with 683,228 elderly (and 150,210
deaths), from 23 European and three non-European countries. So far, 287
variables on health conditions and a variety of exposures, including
biomarkers and genetic data have been harmonized. Different research
hypotheses are investigated with meta-analyses. The results which will
be produced can help international organizations, governments and
policy-makers to better understand the broader implications and
consequences of ageing and thus make informed decisions