scholarly journals Relationship between the Presence of the ApoE ε4 Allele and EEG Complexity along the Alzheimer’s Disease Continuum

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (14) ◽  
pp. 3849
Author(s):  
Víctor Gutiérrez-de Pablo ◽  
Carlos Gómez ◽  
Jesús Poza ◽  
Aarón Maturana-Candelas ◽  
Sandra Martins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Temporal Lobes ◽  
Clinical Onset ◽  
Healthy Control

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent cause of dementia, being considered a major health problem, especially in developed countries. Late-onset AD is the most common form of the disease, with symptoms appearing after 65 years old. Genetic determinants of AD risk are vastly unknown, though, ε 4 allele of the ApoE gene has been reported as the strongest genetic risk factor for AD. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between brain complexity and the presence of ApoE ε 4 alleles along the AD continuum. For this purpose, resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) activity was analyzed by computing Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC) from 46 healthy control subjects, 49 mild cognitive impairment subjects, 45 mild AD patients, 44 moderate AD patients and 33 severe AD patients, subdivided by ApoE status. Subjects with one or more ApoE ε 4 alleles were included in the carriers subgroups, whereas the ApoE ε 4 non-carriers subgroups were formed by subjects without any ε 4 allele. Our results showed that AD continuum is characterized by a progressive complexity loss. No differences were observed between AD ApoE ε 4 carriers and non-carriers. However, brain activity from healthy subjects with ApoE ε 4 allele (carriers subgroup) is more complex than from non-carriers, mainly in left temporal, frontal and posterior regions (p-values < 0.05, FDR-corrected Mann–Whitney U-test). These results suggest that the presence of ApoE ε 4 allele could modify the EEG complexity patterns in different brain regions, as the temporal lobes. These alterations might be related to anatomical changes associated to neurodegeneration, increasing the risk of suffering dementia due to AD before its clinical onset. This interesting finding might help to advance in the development of new tools for early AD diagnosis.

Structural Changes in Thalamic Nuclei Across Prodromal and Clinical Alzheimer’s Disease

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Adam S. Bernstein ◽  
Steven Z. Rapcsak ◽  
Michael Hornberger ◽  
Manojkumar Saranathan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Thalamic Nuclei ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobes ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Temporal Lobes ◽  
Medial Geniculate ◽  
Healthy Control

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that thalamic nuclei may atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We hypothesized that there will be significant atrophy of limbic thalamic nuclei associated with declining memory and cognition across the AD continuum. Objective: The objective of this work was to characterize volume differences in thalamic nuclei in subjects with early and late mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as well as AD when compared to healthy control (HC) subjects using a novel MRI-based thalamic segmentation technique (THOMAS). Methods: MPRAGE data from the ADNI database were used in this study (n = 540). Healthy control (n = 125), early MCI (n = 212), late MCI (n = 114), and AD subjects (n = 89) were selected, and their MRI data were parcellated to determine the volumes of 11 thalamic nuclei for each subject. Volumes across the different clinical subgroups were compared using ANCOVA. Results: There were significant differences in thalamic nuclei volumes between HC, late MCI, and AD subjects. The anteroventral, mediodorsal, pulvinar, medial geniculate, and centromedian nuclei were significantly smaller in subjects with late MCI and AD when compared to HC subjects. Furthermore, the mediodorsal, pulvinar, and medial geniculate nuclei were significantly smaller in early MCI when compared to HC subjects. Conclusion: This work highlights nucleus specific atrophy within the thalamus in subjects with early and late MCI and AD. This is consistent with the hypothesis that memory and cognitive changes in AD are mediated by damage to a large-scale integrated neural network that extends beyond the medial temporal lobes.

scholarly journals Integrated DNA methylation and gene expression profiling across multiple brain regions implicate novel genes in Alzheimer’s disease

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Semick ◽  
Rahul A. Bharadwaj ◽  
Leonardo Collado-Torres ◽  
Ran Tao ◽  
Joo Heon Shin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanism ◽  
Novel Genes ◽  
Age Related

AbstractBackgroundLate-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex age-related neurodegenerative disorder that likely involves epigenetic factors. To better understand the epigenetic state associated with AD represented as variation in DNA methylation (DNAm), we surveyed 420,852 DNAm sites from neurotypical controls (N=49) and late-onset AD patients (N=24) across four brain regions (hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and cerebellum).ResultsWe identified 858 sites with robust differential methylation, collectively annotated to 772 possible genes (FDR<5%, within 10kb). These sites were overrepresented in AD genetic risk loci (p=0.00655), and nearby genes were enriched for processes related to cell-adhesion, immunity, and calcium homeostasis (FDR<5%). We analyzed corresponding RNA-seq data to prioritize 130 genes within 10kb of the differentially methylated sites, which were differentially expressed and had expression levels associated with nearby DNAm levels (p<0.05). This validated gene set includes previously reported (e.g. ANK1, DUSP22) and novel genes involved in Alzheimer’s disease, such as ANKRD30B.ConclusionsThese results highlight DNAm changes in Alzheimer’s disease that have gene expression correlates, implicating DNAm as an epigenetic mechanism underlying pathological molecular changes associated with AD. Furthermore, our framework illustrates the value of integrating epigenetic and transcriptomic data for understanding complex disease.

scholarly journals Failure To Detect Chlamydia pneumoniaein the Late-Onset Alzheimer's Brain

2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 2591-2594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Ring ◽  
Joseph M. Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Chlamydia Pneumoniae ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Postmortem Brain ◽  
Respiratory Pathogen ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Postmortem Brain Tissue

Epidemiological studies have yet to identify a single cause for the most common late-onset form of Alzheimer's disease. The common respiratory pathogen Chlamydia pneumoniae recently has been implicated as a risk factor for this form of Alzheimer's disease. Were this true, there would be a dramatic shift in current paradigms of Alzheimer's disease research and treatment. In the absence of published confirmation, we obtained postmortem brain tissue from late-onset Alzheimer's disease patients (n = 15) and representative controls (n = 5) and extracted DNA from up to six separate brain regions in each instance, including those areas particularly relevant to Alzheimer's disease neuropathology. Each sample of DNA (n = 101) was assayed five times or more for the presence of C. pneumoniae DNA using a nested-PCR protocol targeting a species-specific gene sequence coding for the major outer membrane protein of this organism. We were unable unequivocally to detect C. pneumoniae in any of the 101 samples tested by PCR and failed to culture the organism from tissue samples. We conclude that C. pneumoniae is neither strongly nor uniquely associated with the neuropathology seen in late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

scholarly journals Cognitive Performance Deficits and Dysgraphia in Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-16
Author(s):  
Emanuela Onofri ◽  
Marco Mercuri ◽  
MariaLucia Salesi ◽  
Max Rapp Ricciardi ◽  
Trevor Archer
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Lazio Region ◽  
Performance Deficits ◽  
Writing Ability ◽  
Matched Group ◽  
Severe Stage ◽  
Healthy Control

Introduction: Agraphia or dysgraphia, observed often in early AD, encompasses a progressive disorganization and degeneration of the various components of handwriting. Methods: Deficits in writing ability, dysgraphia, and the relationship with other measures of cognitive decline were studied in a group of 30 patients, originating from the Lazio region, Rome, Italy, presenting a moderate to relatively severe stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Extent of dysgraphia and cognitive performance was compared with a matched group of healthy controls selected from the same region. Results: Several markedly strong relationships between dysgraphia and several measures of cognitive performance in AD patients were observed concomitant with consistent deficits by this patient sample in comparison with the matched group of healthy control subjects were obtained. Additionally, several measures of loss of functional integrity, MMSE, ADL and IADL, were found to be associated with both dysgraphia and impairments in cognitive performance. Conclusion: The present results are discussed from the notion of affected brain regions underlying functions in cognition, language and motor domains that are disturbed in AD.

scholarly journals Characterization of mitochondrial DNA quantity and quality in the human aged and Alzheimer's disease brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Ulrich Klein ◽  
Caroline Trumpff ◽  
Hyun-Sik Yang ◽  
Annie J Lee ◽  
Martin Picard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Mtdna Copy Number

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a feature of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using whole-genome sequencing, we assessed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) heteroplasmy levels and mtDNA copy number (mtDNAcn) in 1,361 human brain samples of five brain regions from three studies. Multivariable analysis of ten common brain pathologies identified tau pathology in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and TDP-43 pathology in the posterior cingulate cortex as primary drivers of reduced mtDNAcn in the aged human brain. Amyloid-β pathology, age, and sex were not associated with mtDNAcn. Further, there is evidence for a direct effect of mitochondrial health on cognition. In contrast, while mtDNA heteroplasmy levels increase by about 1.5% per year of life in the cortical regions, we found little evidence for an association with brain pathologies or cognitive functioning. Thus, our data indicates that mtDNA heteroplasmy burden is unlikely to be involved in the pathogenesis of late-onset neurodegenerative diseases.

scholarly journals Association between the APOE ε4 Allele and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease in an Ecuadorian Mestizo Population

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefany Montufar ◽  
Cristian Calero ◽  
Rodrigo Vinueza ◽  
Patricio Correa ◽  
Andrea Carrera-Gonzalez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Genetic Risk Factor ◽  
Genotype Frequencies ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Genetic Contributions

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease. It has two main pathological hallmarks: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The APOE ε4 allele has been recognized as the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) in several populations worldwide, yet the risk varies by region and ethnicity. The aims of this study were to describe APOE allele and genotype frequencies and examine the relationship between the APOE ε4 allele and LOAD risk in an Ecuadorian Mestizo population. We carried out a case-control study comprising 56 individuals clinically diagnosed with probable AD (≥65 years of age) and 58 unrelated healthy control subjects (≥65 years of age). Genotyping was performed using the real-time PCR method. Our data showed that allelic and genotypic frequencies follow the trends observed in most worldwide populations. We also found a high-risk association between APOE ε4 allele carriers and LOAD (OR = 7.286; 95% CI = 2.824–18.799; p<0.001). Therefore, we concluded that APOE ε4 must be considered an important genetic risk factor for LOAD in the Ecuadorian Mestizo population. Additionally, we suggest that in mixed populations the effects of admixture and ethnic identity should be differentiated when evaluating genetic contributions to Alzheimer’s disease risk.

scholarly journals Differential Network Analyses of Alzheimer’s Disease Identify Early Events in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Xia ◽  
David M. Rocke ◽  
George Perry ◽  
Monika Ray
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Renal Diseases ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Network Analyses ◽  
Coexpression Networks

In late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD), multiple brain regions are not affected simultaneously. Comparing the gene expression of the affected regions to identify the differences in the biological processes perturbed can lead to greater insight into AD pathogenesis and early characteristics. We identified differentially expressed (DE) genes from single cell microarray data of four AD affected brain regions: entorhinal cortex (EC), hippocampus (HIP), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and middle temporal gyrus (MTG). We organized the DE genes in the four brain regions into region-specific gene coexpression networks. Differential neighborhood analyses in the coexpression networks were performed to identify genes with low topological overlap (TO) of their direct neighbors. The low TO genes were used to characterize the biological differences between two regions. Our analyses show that increased oxidative stress, along with alterations in lipid metabolism in neurons, may be some of the very early events occurring in AD pathology. Cellular defense mechanisms try to intervene but fail, finally resulting in AD pathology as the disease progresses. Furthermore, disease annotation of the low TO genes in two independent protein interaction networks has resulted in association between cancer, diabetes, renal diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.

scholarly journals Brain geometry matters in Alzheimer’s disease progression: a simulation study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masoud Hoore ◽  
Jeffrey Kelling ◽  
Mahsa Sayadmanesh ◽  
Tanmay Mitra ◽  
Marta Schips ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Amyloid Plaque ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Plaque Formation ◽  
Secretion Rate ◽  
Heterogeneous Distribution ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe Amyloid cascade hypothesis (ACH) for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is modeled over the whole brain tissue with a set of partial differential equations. Our results show that the amyloid plaque formation is critically dependent on the secretion rate of amyloid β (Aβ), which is proportional to the product of neural density and neural activity. Neural atrophy is similarly related to the secretion rate of Aβ. Due to a heterogeneous distribution of neural density and brain activity throughout the brain, amyloid plaque formation and neural death occurs heterogeneously in the brain. The geometry of the brain and microglia migration in the parenchyma bring more complexity into the system and result in a diverse amyloidosis and dementia pattern of different brain regions. Although the pattern of amyloidosis in the brain cortex from in-silico results is similar to experimental autopsy findings, they mismatch at the central regions of the brain, suggesting that ACH is not able to explain the whole course of AD without considering other factors, such as tau-protein aggregation or neuroinflammation.

scholarly journals Brain CHID1 Expression Correlates with NRGN and CALB1 in Healthy Subjects and AD Patients

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 882
Author(s):  
Paola Castrogiovanni ◽  
Cristina Sanfilippo ◽  
Rosa Imbesi ◽  
Grazia Maugeri ◽  
Debora Lo Furno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Calcium Binding ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Brain Disorder ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
The Brain

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, devastating, and irreversible brain disorder that, day by day, destroys memory skills and social behavior. Despite this, the number of known genes suitable for discriminating between AD patients is insufficient. Among the genes potentially involved in the development of AD, there are the chitinase-like proteins (CLPs) CHI3L1, CHI3L2, and CHID1. The genes of the first two have been extensively investigated while, on the contrary, little information is available on CHID1. In this manuscript, we conducted transcriptome meta-analysis on an extensive sample of brains of healthy control subjects (n = 1849) (NDHC) and brains of AD patients (n = 1170) in order to demonstrate CHID1 involvement. Our analysis revealed an inverse correlation between the brain CHID1 expression levels and the age of NDHC subjects. Significant differences were highlighted comparing CHID1 expression of NDHC subjects and AD patients. Exclusive in AD patients, the CHID1 expression levels were correlated positively to calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (IBA1) levels. Furthermore, both in NDHC and in AD patient’s brains, the CHID1 expression levels were directly correlated with calbindin 1 (CALB1) and neurogranin (NRGN). According to brain regions, correlation differences were shown between the expression levels of CHID1 in prefrontal, frontal, occipital, cerebellum, temporal, and limbic system. Sex-related differences were only highlighted in NDHC. CHID1 represents a new chitinase potentially involved in the principal processes underlying Alzheimer’s disease.

scholarly journals Molecular Networks and Key Regulators of the Dysregulated Neuronal System in Alzheimer’s Disease

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minghui Wang ◽  
Aiqun Li ◽  
Michiko Sekiya ◽  
Noam D. Beckmann ◽  
Xiuming Quan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Molecular Networks ◽  
Parahippocampal Gyrus ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Neuronal System ◽  
Full Spectrum

SUMMARYTo study the molecular mechanisms driving the pathogenesis and identify novel therapeutic targets of late onset Alzheimer’s Disease (LOAD), we performed an integrative network analysis of whole-genome DNA and RNA sequencing profiling of four cortical areas, including the parahippocampal gyrus, across 364 donors spanning the full spectrum of LOAD-related cognitive and neuropathological disease severities. Our analyses revealed thousands of molecular changes and uncovered for the first-time multiple neuron specific gene subnetworks most dysregulated in LOAD. ATP6V1A, a critical subunit of vacuolar-type H+-ATPase (v-ATPase), was predicted to be a key regulator of one neuronal subnetwork and its role in disease-related processes was evaluated through CRISPR-based manipulation of human induced pluripotent stem cell derived neurons and RNAi-based knockdown in transgenic Drosophila models. This study advances our understanding of LOAD pathogenesis by providing the global landscape and detailed circuits of complex molecular interactions and regulations in several key brain regions affected by LOAD and the resulting network models provide a blueprint for developing next generation therapeutics against LOAD.

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