Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease in the Entorhinal and Transentorhinal Cortex

Research on biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease has been shifting focus toward identifying changes in the preclinical stage, a stage prior to the emergence of cognitive deficits. Advances in the field of computational anatomy leverages noisy, longitudinal data for more sensitive and robust detection of shape differences. In particular, cortical thickness measures have been shown to be a sensitive marker of change. In this work, we introduce a pipeline for quantifying cortical thickness and develop three models to study the earliest changes detected from structural MRI. First, we investigate where grey matter atrophy occurs with great spatial resolution using a new cortical thickness metric and a mixed effects model of group differences. Next, we determine when grey matter atrophy begins using a piece-wise linear mixed effects model of atrophy. Finally, we characterize early progression of the disease in an individual using a subject-specific model of atrophy spread

Not Your “Typical” Research: Inclusion Ethics in Neurodiversity Scholarship

Research focusing on neurodiversityFootnote1 is critical for including all marginalized populations in the organizational diversity literature and for promoting theoretical innovation. It is imperative that such research models the ethics of inclusion (Gowen et al., Reference Gowen, Taylor, Bleazard, Greenstein, Baimbridge and Poole2019; Nicolaidis et al., Reference Nicolaidis, Raymaker, Kapp, Baggs, Ashkenazy, McDonald, Weiner, Maslak, Hunter and Joyce2019). Despite positive intent, majority group researchers have historically produced biased scholarship on novel marginalized populations (Colella et al., Reference Colella, Hebl and King2017). As all research includes some subjective bias, neurotypical researchers are likely to publish information that further marginalizes neurodivergentFootnote2 people as they inherently do not have the lived experience of being neurodivergent themselves. Researchers should include the perspectives of the members of the populations they are conducting research on and aim to support neurodivergent voices. We recommend that researchers (a) include neurodivergent research team membersFootnote3 when researching neurodiversity and (b) strengthen the marginalized participant impact on research findings through methods like qualitative and participatory action research, especially if including neurodivergent research team members is not feasible despite legitimate attempts to do so

Primary solitary retro-clival amyloidoma.

Amyloidosis encompasses a group of disorders sharing the common feature of intercellular deposition of amyloid protein by several different pathogenetic mechanisms. Primary solitary amyloidosis, or amyloidoma, is a rare subset of amyloidosis in which amyloid deposition is focal and not secondary to a systemic process or plasma cell dyscrasia.This 84-year-old female presented with history of multiple syncopal episodes, dysphagia, and ataxia. Motor strength was 3+/5 in the right upper extremity. Rheumatoid factor, cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP), and anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) were normal. Serum and urine immune-electrophoresis detected no abnormal bands. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a non-enhancing soft-tissue mass extending from the retro-clivus to C2 posteriorly, eccentric to the right with severe mass effect on the upper cervical medullary junction. Endoscopic trans-nasal debulking of the retro-clival mass was performed with occiput to C5 posterior instrumentation for spinal stabilization.Primary solitary amyloidosis, unlike other forms of amyloidosis, has an excellent prognosis with local resection. Diagnosis requires special stains and a degree of suspicion for the disease. This is the first report to document an endoscopic trans-nasal approach for removal of a primary solitary amyloidosis of the retro-clivus. Management of vertebral amyloidoma involves aggressive local resection of the tumor when feasible and spine stabilization as the degree of tumor involvement mandates. Complete evaluation for the diagnosis of systemic amyloidosis is essential for the management and prognostication. Surgeons encountering such lesions must maintain high suspicion for this rare disease and advise pathologists accordingly to establish the correct diagnosis

Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease in the Entorhinal and Transentorhinal Cortex

Research on biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease has been shifting focus toward identifying changes in the preclinical stage, a stage prior to the emergence of cognitive deficits. Advances in the field of computational anatomy leverages noisy, longitudinal data for more sensitive and robust detection of shape differences. In particular, cortical thickness measures have been shown to be a sensitive marker of change. In this work, we introduce a pipeline for quantifying cortical thickness and develop three models to study the earliest changes detected from structural MRI. First, we investigate where grey matter atrophy occurs with great spatial resolution using a new cortical thickness metric and a mixed effects model of group differences. Next, we determine when grey matter atrophy begins using a piece-wise linear mixed effects model of atrophy. Finally, we characterize early progression of the disease in an individual using a subject-specific model of atrophy spread

The Beneficial Effects of Cognitive Training With Simple Calculation and Reading Aloud (SCRA) in the Elderly Postoperative Population: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: There has been little research conducted regarding cognitive treatments for the elderly postsurgical population. Patients aged ≥60 years have an increased risk of postoperative cognitive decline, a condition in which cognitive functions are negatively affected. This cognitive decline can lead to a decline in quality of life. In order to maintain a high quality of life, the elderly postsurgical population may benefit from treatment to maintain and/or improve their cognitive functions. This pilot study investigates the effect of simple calculation and reading aloud (SCRA) cognitive training in elderly Japanese postsurgical patients.Methods: Elderly patients undergoing non-cardiovascular thoracic surgery under general anesthesia were recruited (n = 12). Subjects were randomly divided into two groups—one that receives 12 weeks of SCRA intervention, and a waitlisted control group. Before and after the intervention, we measured cognitive function [Mini-Mental Status Exam-Japanese (MMSE-J), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), computerized Cogstate Brief Battery (CBB)] and emotional state [General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Quality of Life Scale-5 (QOL-5)].Results: Group difference analyses using ANCOVA with permutation test showed that the intervention SCRA group had a significant improvement in FAB motor programming sub-score, GDS, and QOL-5 compared to the control group. Within-group analyses using Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare baseline and follow-up showed that the SCRA intervention group total FAB scores, FAB motor programming sub-scores, and QOL-5 scores were significantly improved.Discussion: This pilot study showed that there are important implications for the beneficial effects of SCRA intervention on cognitive function and emotional state in the postoperative elderly population; however, further investigations are necessary to reach any conclusions.Trial registration: This study was registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trial Registry (UMIN000019832)