Molecular Imaging of Microglial Activation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

There is growing evidence of activated microglia and inflammatory processes in the cerebral cortex in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Activated microglia is characterized by increased expression of the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) in the brain and may be a useful biomarker of inflammation. In this study, we evaluated neuroinflammation in ALS patients using a radioligand of TSPO, 18F-DPA-714. Ten patients with probable or definite ALS (all right-handed, without dementia, and untreated by riluzole or other medication that might bias the binding on the TSPO), were enrolled prospectively and eight healthy controls matched for age underwent a PET study. Comparison of the distribution volume ratios between both groups were performed using a Mann-Whitney’s test. Significant increase of distribution of volume ratios values corresponding to microglial activation was found in the ALS sample in primary motor, supplementary motor and temporal cortex (p = 0.009, p = 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively). These results suggested that the cortical uptake of 18F-DPA-714 was increased in ALS patients during the ‘‘time of diagnosis’’ phase of the disease. This finding might improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of ALS and might be a surrogate marker of efficacy of treatment on microglial activation

Association of angiitis of central nervous system, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, and Alzheimer’s disease: Report of an autopsy case

The association of angiitis of central nervous system (ACNS) with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) suggests a physiopathological relationship between these two affections. Few cases are reported in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We describe here a clinicopathological case associating ACNS, CAA, and AD. We discuss the aetiology of ACNS and its relationship with cerebral deposition of beta A4 amyloid protein (βA4)

Neuronal Clustering of Brain fMRI Images

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) allows the neuroscientists to observe the human brain in vivo. The current approach consists in statistically validating their hypotheses. Data mining techniques provide an opportunity to help them in making up their hypotheses. This paper shows how a neuronal clustering technique can highlight active areas thanks to an appropriate distance between fMRI image sequences. This approach has been integrated into an interactive environment for knowledge discovery in brain fMRI. Its results on a typical dataset validate the approach and open further developments in this direction

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Influence of Age on the Dynamics of fMRI Activations during a Semantic Fluency Task

International audiencePurpose : Age-related fMRI changes have not been extensively studied for language, whereas important adaptive mechanisms have been seen in other cognitive fields. This study examined age-related changes in fMRI activation during language tasks and, in particular, their dynamic course.Patients and methods fMRI was performed on 22 young and 21 old healthy right-handed subjects during a silent category word-generation task. Activation and dynamics of BOLD signals were studied separately during the first and second portions of each 30-s block.Results : Activation of the left frontal lobe was initially similar in young and old participants; however, it decreased after 30s in the old participants. On the other hand, additional areas were initially involved only in old subjects and especially in the default mode network.Conclusion :This study showed age-related differences in the dynamics of fMRI activation during a silent word-generation task, suggesting a different pattern of language function with aging

Symptomatic treatments in Alzheimer's disease in 2016: a study from Memory centers in France

International audienc

juillet-août 2017

La médiation numérique dans les institutions muséales Les outils numériques sont devenus les compagnons indispensables de la médiation culturelle mais leur usage ne manque pas de questionner les professionnels des musées, notamment sur la place des publics, le profil des utilisateurs, le rôle dévolu à ces outils… Ainsi, la première contribution de ce nouveau numéro de La Lettre de l’Ocim montre comment l’institution muséale peut mettre en place une démarche pour appréhender le public qui fréquente le musée sur Internet, observer et comprendre les pratiques des internautes, tenter de mesurer la réception de ses actions en dehors de l’établissement. Par ailleurs, à travers l’analyse de l’utilisation d’une table tactile interactive restituant l’évolution dans le temps et l’aménagement d’un site archéologique, une seconde contribution s’interroge sur la place de cet outil numérique dans la médiation, relevant l’importance de la transmission humaine des savoirs et du patrimoine. Enfin ce numéro propose une nouvelle rubrique « Une collection – Un objet de musée » qui désormais présentera un objet d’un musée thématique, d’un muséum, d’un CCSTI, d’un centre d’interprétation… Cet objet qui a une histoire particulière au sein d’une collection ou qui pose une problématique inédite en terme de conservation, d’exposition, d’interprétation, de réception… sera choisi et commenté par l’institution concernée. Serge LOCHOT, rédacteur en che

The Pattern of Brain Amyloid Load in Posterior Cortical Atrophy Using 18F-AV45: Is Amyloid the Principal Actor in the Disease

Background: Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is characterized by progressive higher-order visuoperceptual dysfunction and praxis declines. This syndrome is related to a number of underlying diseases, including, in most cases, Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this study was to compare the amyloid load with 18F-AV45 positron emission tomography (PET) between PCA and AD subjects. Methods: We performed 18F-AV45 PET, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker analysis and a neuropsychological assessment in 11 PCA patients and 12 AD patients. Results: The global and regional 18F-AV45 uptake was similar in the PCA and AD groups. No significant correlation was observed between global 18F-AV45 uptake and CSF biomarkers or between regional 18F-AV45 uptake and cognitive and affective symptoms. Conclusion: This 18F-AV45 PET amyloid imaging study showed no specific regional pattern of cortical 18F-AV45 binding in PCA patients. These results confirm that a distinct clinical phenotype in amnestic AD and PCA is not related to amyloid distribution

Preserved subcortical volumes and cortical thickness in women with sexual abuse-related PTSD

International audiencePosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been frequently associated with volumetric reductions of grey matter structures (e.g. hippocampus and anterior cingulate), but these results remain controversial, especially in female non-combat-related samples. The present study aimed at exploring whole-brain structures in women with sexual abuse-related PTSD on the basis of cortical and subcortical structure comparisons to a matched pair sample that was well-controlled. Seventeen young women who had experienced sexual abuse and who had a diagnosis of chronic PTSD based on the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-IV and 17 healthy controls individually matched for age and years of education were consecutively recruited. Both groups underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging and psychiatric assessment of the main disorders according to Axis I of DSM-IV. The resulting scans were analyzed using automated cortical and subcortical volumetric quantifications. Compared with controls, PTSD subjects displayed normal global and regional brain volumes and cortical thicknesses. Our results indicate preserved subcortical volumes and cortical thickness in a sample of female survivors of sexual abuse with PTSD. The authors discuss potential differences between neural mechanisms of sexual abuse-related PTSD and war-related PTSD