FindMyApps compared with usual tablet use to promote social health of community-dwelling people with mild dementia and their informal caregivers:a randomised controlled trial

Background: FindMyApps is a tablet-based eHealth intervention designed to help people learn to use a tablet and find easy-to-use apps. This study evaluated the effectiveness of FindMyApps for supporting social health of people living with dementia, and sense of competence of their informal caregivers. Methods: A single-centre, two-arm, non-blinded randomised controlled trial was conducted (Netherlands Trial Register NL8157). From 1st January 2020 to 31st July 2022, community-dwelling people in the Netherlands with a pre-established diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia (Brief Cognitive Rating Scale 17–32), an informal caregiver and internet connection were allocated by block randomisation to receive FindMyApps or digital care-as-usual. Primary outcomes (measured at baseline and after three months) for people with dementia/MCI were self-management (Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit total score) and social participation (Maastricht Social Participation Profile frequency and diversity scores), and for caregivers, sense of competence (Short Sense of Competence Questionnaire total score). Between-group differences were tested by MANCOVA or ANCOVA (alpha = 0.05). Findings: 150 dyads were randomised (FindMyApps n = 76, care-as-usual n = 74). Follow-up data were available for 128 dyads (FindMyApps n = 64, care-as-usual n = 64), who were included in the analysis in the trial arm to which they were assigned. No harms of the intervention were identified. There were no statistically significant differences in outcomes for people with dementia/MCI at group level. Diagnosis and experiencing apathy appeared to be relevant effect modifiers of secondary outcomes (neuropsychiatric symptoms, positive affect, sense of belonging, and pleasurable activities). Caregivers who received FindMyApps had higher sense of competence at three months (F [1,123] = 7.01, p = 0.0092, η2 = 0.054). Interpretation: Overall we found no evidence that the FindMyApps intervention better supported social participation or self-management of people with MCI/dementia than digital care-as-usual. FindMyApps does seem to better support informal caregivers’ sense of competence. For people with a diagnosis of mild dementia and older people, better tailored interventions, implementation and outcome measures may be needed. Funding: Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions Innovative Training Network H2020 MSCA ITN, grant agreement number 813196.</p

The effect of amyloid pathology and glucose metabolism on cortical volume loss over time in Alzheimer’s disease

Purpose: The present multimodal neuroimaging study examined whether amyloid pathology and glucose metabolism are related to cortical volume loss over time in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and healthy elderly controls. Methods: Structural MRI scans of eleven AD patients and ten controls were available at baseline and follow-up (mean interval 2.5 years). Change in brain structure over time was defined as percent change of cortical volume within seven a-priori defined regions that typically show the strongest structural loss in AD. In addition, two PET scans were performed at baseline: [[superscript 11]C]PIB to assess amyloid-β plaque load and [[superscript 18]F]FDG to assess glucose metabolism. [[superscript 11]C]PIB binding and [[superscript 18]F]FDG uptake were measured in the precuneus, a region in which both amyloid deposition and glucose hypometabolism occur early in the course of AD. Results: While amyloid-β plaque load at baseline was not related to cortical volume loss over time in either group, glucose metabolism within the group of AD patients was significantly related to volume loss over time (rho=0.56, p<0.05). Conclusion:The present study shows that in a group of AD patients amyloid-β plaque load as measured by [[superscript 11]C]PIB behaves as a trait marker (i.e., all AD patients showed elevated levels of amyloid, not related to subsequent disease course), whilst hypometabolism as measured by [[superscript 18]F]FDG changed over time indicating that it could serve as a state marker that is predictive of neurodegeneration.Hersenstichting Nederland (KS2011(1)-24)Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical ImagingInternationale Stichting Alzheimer Onderzoek (Project Number 11539

Pre‐screening models for patient engagement: The MOPEAD project

AbstractBackgroundAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating condition that not only impacts greatly on the patient's health but also poses an important burden on the patient's immediate family circle. Early detection of AD allows patients to have an active role in managing their condition, and to plan how to minimize the strain on their dear ones. Despite known benefits, a large proportion of dementia cases remains undiagnosed or receives a late stage diagnosis. The MOPEAD project aims to address this issue by exploring innovative strategies to emerge "hidden" cases of cognitive impairment.MethodMemory clinics located in five different European countries participated in the project. Four innovative pre‐screening strategies were implemented to detect cognitive decline among individuals aged 65‐85 years who had never received a dementia related diagnosis: a) a web‐based pre‐screening tool along with an online marketing campaign, b) open house initiatives where people with memory complaints were invited to receive a quick evaluation at participating memory clinics, c) a primary care‐based protocol for early detection of cognitive decline using easily administered tools, and d) a tertiary care‐based pre‐screening at diabetologist clinics specifically designed to assess risk of dementia among patients with diabetes. A positive pre‐screening result implied that individuals were at high risk of having mild cognitive impairment or AD.ResultThe number of individuals enrolled, and the proportion of those with positive pre‐screening results varied across strategies. The web‐based tool evaluated the largest number of individuals (n=1487) and yielded 547 positive results (36.8%). The Open house initiative pre‐screened 661 subjects of whom 235 (35.6%) obtained a positive result. A total of 435 patients were pre‐screened in the primary care‐based strategy and 193 of them (44.4%) were found to have a positive result. Finally, 264 patients from diabetes clinics underwent pre‐screening and 154 (58.3%) showed a positive result.ConclusionUsing innovative pre‐screening strategies, we were able to identify 1129 individuals at high risk of having dementia who had otherwise remained unnoticed. Initiatives like this, show us the way to go in order to shift the paradigm of AD towards an earlier diagnosis

Complementary pre-screening strategies to uncover hidden prodromal and mild Alzheimer's disease : Results from the MOPEAD project

The Models of Patient Engagement for Alzheimer's Disease (MOPEAD) project was conceived to explore innovative complementary strategies to uncover hidden prodromal and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia cases and to raise awareness both in the general public and among health professionals about the importance of early diagnosis. Four different strategies or RUNs were used: (a) a web-based (WB) prescreening tool, (2) an open house initiative (OHI), (3) a primary care-based protocol for early detection of cognitive decline (PC), and (4) a tertiary care-based pre-screening at diabetologist clinics (DC). A total of 1129 patients at high risk of having prodromal AD or dementia were identified of 2847 pre-screened individuals (39.7%). The corresponding proportion for the different initiatives were 36.8% (WB), 35.6% (OHI), 44.4% (PC), and 58.3% (DC). These four complementary pre-screening strategies were useful for identifying individuals at high risk of having prodromal or mild AD

Prescreening for European Prevention of Alzheimer Dementia (EPAD) trial-ready cohort: impact of AD risk factors and recruitment settings

Abstract: Background: Recruitment is often a bottleneck in secondary prevention trials in Alzheimer disease (AD). Furthermore, screen-failure rates in these trials are typically high due to relatively low prevalence of AD pathology in individuals without dementia, especially among cognitively unimpaired. Prescreening on AD risk factors may facilitate recruitment, but the efficiency will depend on how these factors link to participation rates and AD pathology. We investigated whether common AD-related factors predict trial-ready cohort participation and amyloid status across different prescreen settings. Methods: We monitored the prescreening in four cohorts linked to the European Prevention of Alzheimer Dementia (EPAD) Registry (n = 16,877; mean ± SD age = 64 ± 8 years). These included a clinical cohort, a research in-person cohort, a research online cohort, and a population-based cohort. Individuals were asked to participate in the EPAD longitudinal cohort study (EPAD-LCS), which serves as a trial-ready cohort for secondary prevention trials. Amyloid positivity was measured in cerebrospinal fluid as part of the EPAD-LCS assessment. We calculated participation rates and numbers needed to prescreen (NNPS) per participant that was amyloid-positive. We tested if age, sex, education level, APOE status, family history for dementia, memory complaints or memory scores, previously collected in these cohorts, could predict participation and amyloid status. Results: A total of 2595 participants were contacted for participation in the EPAD-LCS. Participation rates varied by setting between 3 and 59%. The NNPS were 6.9 (clinical cohort), 7.5 (research in-person cohort), 8.4 (research online cohort), and 88.5 (population-based cohort). Participation in the EPAD-LCS (n = 413 (16%)) was associated with lower age (odds ratio (OR) age = 0.97 [0.95–0.99]), high education (OR = 1.64 [1.23–2.17]), male sex (OR = 1.56 [1.19–2.04]), and positive family history of dementia (OR = 1.66 [1.19–2.31]). Among participants in the EPAD-LCS, amyloid positivity (33%) was associated with higher age (OR = 1.06 [1.02–1.10]) and APOE ɛ4 allele carriership (OR = 2.99 [1.81–4.94]). These results were similar across prescreen settings. Conclusions: Numbers needed to prescreen varied greatly between settings. Understanding how common AD risk factors link to study participation and amyloid positivity is informative for recruitment strategy of studies on secondary prevention of AD

Prevalence of amyloid PET positivity in dementia syndromes: a meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE: Amyloid-β positron emission tomography (PET) imaging allows in vivo detection of fibrillar plaques, a core neuropathological feature of Alzheimer disease (AD). Its diagnostic utility is still unclear because amyloid plaques also occur in patients with non-AD dementia. OBJECTIVE: To use individual participant data meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of amyloid positivity on PET in a wide variety of dementia syndromes. DATA SOURCES: The MEDLINE and Web of Science databases were searched from January 2004 to April 2015 for amyloid PET studies. STUDY SELECTION: Case reports and studies on neurological or psychiatric diseases other than dementia were excluded. Corresponding authors of eligible cohorts were invited to provide individual participant data. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Data were provided for 1359 participants with clinically diagnosed AD and 538 participants with non-AD dementia. The reference groups were 1849 healthy control participants (based on amyloid PET) and an independent sample of 1369 AD participants (based on autopsy). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Estimated prevalence of positive amyloid PET scans according to diagnosis, age, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 status, using the generalized estimating equations method. RESULTS: The likelihood of amyloid positivity was associated with age and APOE ε4 status. In AD dementia, the prevalence of amyloid positivity decreased from age 50 to 90 years in APOE ε4 noncarriers (86% [95% CI, 73%-94%] at 50 years to 68% [95% CI, 57%-77%] at 90 years; n = 377) and to a lesser degree in APOE ε4 carriers (97% [95% CI, 92%-99%] at 50 years to 90% [95% CI, 83%-94%] at 90 years; n = 593; P < .01). Similar associations of age and APOE ε4 with amyloid positivity were observed in participants with AD dementia at autopsy. In most non-AD dementias, amyloid positivity increased with both age (from 60 to 80 years) and APOE ε4 carriership (dementia with Lewy bodies: carriers [n = 16], 63% [95% CI, 48%-80%] at 60 years to 83% [95% CI, 67%-92%] at 80 years; noncarriers [n = 18], 29% [95% CI, 15%-50%] at 60 years to 54% [95% CI, 30%-77%] at 80 years; frontotemporal dementia: carriers [n = 48], 19% [95% CI, 12%-28%] at 60 years to 43% [95% CI, 35%-50%] at 80 years; noncarriers [n = 160], 5% [95% CI, 3%-8%] at 60 years to 14% [95% CI, 11%-18%] at 80 years; vascular dementia: carriers [n = 30], 25% [95% CI, 9%-52%] at 60 years to 64% [95% CI, 49%-77%] at 80 years; noncarriers [n = 77], 7% [95% CI, 3%-18%] at 60 years to 29% [95% CI, 17%-43%] at 80 years. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among participants with dementia, the prevalence of amyloid positivity was associated with clinical diagnosis, age, and APOE genotype. These findings indicate the potential clinical utility of amyloid imaging for differential diagnosis in early-onset dementia and to support the clinical diagnosis of participants with AD dementia and noncarrier APOE ε4 status who are older than 70 years

Amyloïd-PET bij patiënten met de ziekte van Alzheimer

Until a few years ago, amyloid plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease could only be demonstrated by means of neuropathological examination. New PET tracers allow for visualisation of these amyloid plaques in living patients. Biological validity and clinical relevance of this technique have been established. Expertise in interpretation of the images and the diagnostic impact is required. Cost effectiveness and added value over existing methods in terms of diagnosis and prognosis are still being investigated

Clinicians' views on conversations and shared decision making in diagnostic testing for Alzheimer's disease: The ABIDE project

This study explores clinicians' views on and experiences with when, how, and by whom decisions about diagnostic testing for Alzheimer's disease are made and how test results are discussed with patients. Following a preparatory focus group with 13 neurologists and geriatricians, we disseminated an online questionnaire among 200 memory clinic clinicians. Respondents were 95 neurologists and geriatricians (response rate 47.5%). Clinicians (74%) indicated that decisions about testing are made before the first encounter, yet they favored a shared decision-making approach. Patient involvement seems limited to receiving information. Clinicians with less tolerance for uncertainty preferred a bigger say in decisions (P < .05). Clinicians indicated to always communicate the diagnosis (94%), results of different tests (88%-96%), and risk of developing dementia (66%). Clinicians favor patient involvement in deciding about diagnostic testing, but conversations about decisions and test results can be improved and supporte