bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dementia care and psychosocial interventions for US Latino populations
Authors: Rodriguez Miriam J. , Perales Jaime 
Published: December 2023

AbstractLatinos are the fastest growing older adult group in the US and are impacted disproportionately by dementia. Compared to non‐Latino Whites, Latinos are at a higher risk of developing dementia, dementia‐related behavioral symptoms and caregiver depression. These disparities are compounded by Latinos’ lower access to a diagnosis, treatment, and caregiver support. After decades of awareness of these disparities, Latinos continue to be underrepresented in behavioral and psychosocial interventions that can address these outcomes. Since outcomes in dementia behavioral and psychosocial interventions vary widely by ethnicity, the exclusion of Latinos may be widening these disparities. Studies are desperately needed that increase the participation of Latinos in dementia behavioral and psychosocial interventions, and tailor their components to their background and context (e.g., language, beliefs, culture or insurance status). In this session, the CADLAS Dementia Care and Psychosocial Interventions Special Interest Group (SIG) will discuss recent developments, current challenges and opportunities, as well as future research direction in this area. The SIG aims to promote collaborations among investigators working on dementia care and psychosocial interventions with US Latino/Hispanic populations to accelerate research and the development of interventions, scales and biomarkers. This SIG meets monthly and currently includes 13 members. Since its creation, SIG members continually share relevant educational and funding opportunities, and have been working on a state‐of‐the‐art review manuscript on dementia caregiver interventions among Latinos.
The diagnostic utility of picture description task in english, chinese and italian speaking individuals with primary progressive aphasia
Authors: Santi Gaia Chiara , Tee Boon Lead , Catricalà Eleonora , Agosta Federica , Canu Elisa , Filippi Massimo , Cappa Stefano F , Tempini Maria Luisa Gorno 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundPrimary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a language‐predominant dementia syndrome (Mesulam et al.., 201) that impacts speakers of all languages. Despite there are more than 7,000 living languages, the diagnostic model is mainly tailored for English‐language speakers. Cross‐linguistic comparisons are called for, especially considering the heterogeneities of linguistic features in the different languages (Blasi et al., 2022). We intend to study the speech and language markers of English‐, Mandarin‐, Cantonese‐ and Italian‐speaking individuals with PPA when completing verbal picture description test. The goal is to (1) characterize the speech profiles of semantic(sv), logopenic(lv), nonfluent/agrammatic(nfv) PPA for each specific language, identifying key linguistic markers for the diagnosis; (2) identify similarities/differences in terms of markers across languages.MethodWe collected the oral picture description, based on the PicNic Scene from WAB battery (Schewan & Kertesz, 1980), of 30 English‐, 30 Chinese‐ (Mandarin and Cantonese), and 30 Italian‐ speaking PPA patients (equally distributed across the three variants) with 45 matched healthy controls (HC). Collected speech samples underwent CLAN and Whisper software analysis to characterize informativeness, lexico‐semantic, morpho‐syntactic, phonological and prosody features. We standardized PPA data relatively to their respective. Differences between PPA variants and with HC for the different features were only carried out for the Italian group, using non parametric tests. Performances across different language groups will be investigated as well.ResultAnalysis on Italian sample revealed that mean length of utterances, number of empty, filled pauses, abandoned words, and words repetition significantly distinguished PPA from HC. svPPA produced more irrelevant words and adverbs than other PPA groups. nfvPPA produced more sentences without verbs compared to HC and PPA. lvPPA produced more abandoned words than other PPA. svPPA and lvPPA produced less nouns and noun‐verbs ratio compared to HC and nfvPPA, meanwhile lvPPA and nfvPPA produced less words, open class words and more determiners‐noun ratio compared to HC. svPPA and nfvPPA showed reduced idea density compared to HC.ConclusionThose results are consistent with previous literature on PPA oral production. However, future comparisons across languages are extremely important and needed to ensure equitable assessment and minimize disparities globally.
Longitudinal retinal changes in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Ma Xiaoxi , Wei Shuang , Wang Xi , Wu Jie , Xiao Zhenxu , Wu Wanqing , Liang Xiaoniu , Zheng Li , Ding Ding , Lu Zhaozeng , Xiao Yiqin , Zhao Qianhua 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundPrevious studies have shown retinal thickness and vascular alterations in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), even in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), suggesting that retinal parameters are potential biomarkers for AD. However, the prospective observation of retinal markers is still insufficient. In this study, we aimed to observe longitudinal retinal thickness and vascular changes in patients with AD and MCI, and to identify critical retinal markers that significantly change over time.MethodPatients with AD (N = 22) and MCI (N = 21) were recruited from the Shanghai Memory Study. Age‐ and gender‐matched cognitively normal (NC) participants (N = 26) were included from the Shanghai Aging Study. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography were performed in all participants at baseline and after an average 19.2 months follow‐up to assess changes in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (p‐RNFL), ganglion cell layer thickness (GCC), macular thickness and volume divided by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study grid, retinal vessel density, and fovea avascular zone (FAZ). Differences of monthly variation rate of retinal parameters between NC, MCI, and AD individuals were evaluated.ResultThe monthly variation rates among groups showed significant differences in thickness and volume of full temporal para‐fovea sector, inner temporal peri‐fovea sector, outer temporal para‐fovea sector, and thickness of outer superior hemisphere para‐fovea sector (all P<0.05). There was no difference in the rate of change of p‐RNFL, GCC, retinal vessel density, and FAZ among all groups. Post hoc analysis revealed that the monthly change in thickness and volume of the full‐temporal and outer sectors were significantly faster in AD than in NC, whereas the inner‐temporal sectors changed faster in MCI than in NC groups (all P<0.05). Furthermore, the monthly changes in inner temporal peri‐fovea thickness were faster in MCI than in NC and AD participants (all P<0.05).ConclusionDuring follow‐up, retinal temporal thinning was faster in patients with AD, whilst inner retina‐temporal sector thinning was faster in participants with MCI. Accelerated thinning of temporal sectors of the retina, especially the inner‐temporal sector may be an early marker of AD disease progression.
Epigenome‐wide association study of Aβ42/Aβ40 in a sample of U.S. middle‐aged twins
Authors: Beam Christopher R. , Bakulski Kelly M , Alishahi Farshad , Pilgrim Matthew JD , Zandi Ebrahim , Turkheimer Eric , Higdon Kristin , Sikes Kendra , Ryan Lesa , Davis Deborah Winders 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundDNA methylation may affect expression of genes that promote the accumulation of amyloid‐β (Aβ). Although prior studies suggest that DNA methylation correlates with Aβ in older adults (Levine et al. (2018). An epigenetic biomarker of aging for lifespan and healthspan. Aging, 10(4), 573.), Aβ begins to accumulate earlier than when clinical symptoms associated with Aβ are evident. The purpose of the current study is to present novel results on whether differentially methylated CpG sites (i.e., regions of DNA where methylation occurs) correlate with higher Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios across a sample of middle‐aged individuals.MethodData from 193 individual twins from the Louisville Twin Study were used in the current analysis. Genomic DNA was extracted from venipuncture blood samples, and bisulfite‐converted DNA samples were assessed with the Illumina Infinium EpicArray BeadChip. Quality control and analyses were performed in R using the minfi package, and gene ontology analyses were performed using the MissMethyl package. Aβ42/Aβ40 was estimated using a capture sandwich immunoassay methodology that measures AD biomarkers in whole‐blood plasma. Differential DNA methylation was estimated using multivariable linear regression with an empirical Bayes estimator.ResultEstimation of differential DNA methylation was adequate (λ = 1.38), although some Type I inflation of p‐values was observed among CpG sites with higher p‐values. Although no CpG sites reached genome‐wide statistical significance, the top four CpG sites suggested differential methylation ranging between 2.8–4.8% per unit increase in the ratio of Aβ42/Aβ40. The top gene sets associated with differential methylation were response to glucocorticoids, response to corticosteroids, and response to Aβ.ConclusionDespite no statistically significant CpG probes identified, likely due to the small sample size, the findings from the gene ontology analysis suggest that identification of epigenetic biomarkers may clarify the biological pathways through which the epigenome may regulate expression of Aβ proteins. As data collection is ongoing, we expect detected of genome‐wide significant probes with larger sample sizes.
Transient forgetting of early formed memory in drosophila
Authors: Chiang HsuehCheng 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundForgetting is a natural biological process not only to remove the stored memory but also to offer flexibility for future behaviors. Based on the retrievability of forgotten memory, forgetting could be subcategorized into permeant forgetting and transient forgetting. Compared to permeant forgetting, the cellular mechanism of transient forgetting is largely unknown. Early‐formed memory is mostly unconsolidated and sensitive to interruption; therefore, it is unclear if transient forgetting could be induced during the early stage of memory formation, and if acquired information remains intact after external stimulation‐induced forgetting.MethodThe current study used Drosophila as a model system with genetic behavioral settings to investigate the cellular mechanism of transient forgetting of early‐formed memory.ResultWe found that transient forgetting only temporally blocks memory retrieval and learned information was preserved. The lost memory spontaneously recovered after 30‐40 minutes. Our results showed that dopamine plays an important role in meditating transient forgetting. We also demonstrated that transient forgetting is different from extinction as the underlying cellular mechanism is different and the induction protocol is not the same. External stimulation recruits dopaminergic neurons to modify the behavior output to temporally interrupt memory recall. Further study showed that the encoding remains functional during transient forgetting, suggesting animals' basal cognitive functions are largely unaffected.ConclusionAs transient forgetting is often observed during neurodegenerative diseases, the current study not only reveals the detailed cellular mechanism of transient forgetting of early‐formed memory but also how transient forgetting affects disease progression.
Polysomnography results and cognitive performance in early‐stage Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Young Vanessa M. , Pollet Erin , Serrano‐Rubio Luis Humberto , Velarde Angel G. , Gaona Carlos A. , Horn Sarah , Ramirez‐Castaneda Juan , Coss Pablo , Vaou Okeanis E. , Saklad Amy R. , Shipp Eric L. , Seshadri Sudha , Gonzalez David A. , Gonzales Mitzi M. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundParkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder that involves a range of motor and non‐motor symptoms. About 66% of individuals with PD report sleep disturbance impacts their quality of life. Sleep disorders may precede the cardinal motor features in PD and can influence motor and non‐motor symptom severity, including cognition. Yet current evidence of this association with objective assessments remains limited. The goal of this pilot study was to evaluate the associations between cognition and overnight polysomnography results in early‐stage PD.MethodsParticipants completed neuropsychological assessments and an overnight in‐clinic polysomnography. Associations between polysomnography results and cognitive performance were evaluated using partial correlations controlling for age and education.ResultsTwenty participants (mean age 69±8; 25% female) without dementia and with a diagnosis of early‐stage PD (Hoehn and Yahr stage 1‐2) were enrolled (Table 1). Table 2 displays the associations between polysomnography results and cognitive assessments. Greater percentage time in stage N1 sleep and increased duration of wakefulness time after sleep onset (WASO) were associated with poorer phonemic fluency (r = ‐0.626, p = .005 and r = ‐0.512, p = .030, respectively); whereas increased time spent in stage N2 sleep and higher sleep efficiency index were correlated with better phonemic fluency (r = 0.829, p < .001 and r = 0.513, p = .029, respectively). Greater percentage in stage N2 was associated with better verbal learning (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test–Revised (HVLT‐R) Immediate Recall, r = 0.521, p = .027). Higher percent time in REM sleep was correlated with increased basic attention (Digit Span Forward, r = 0.483, p = .042). No associations were found between total sleep time and cognitive performance.ConclusionWhile total sleep time was not associated with cognition, higher percent time spent in Stage N2, Stage N3, and REM sleep were associated with better cognitive performance. In contrast, higher percentage of Stage N1 sleep and increased duration of WASO were associated with poorer verbal fluency. The preliminary results highlight the importance of increased time in deeper stages of sleep for cognition in adults with early‐stage PD. Future longitudinal studies will be necessary to evaluate long‐term cognitive trajectories and transition to dementia in association with diminished sleep quality in Parkinson’s disease.
Characteristics of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers/imaging findings in ptaients with amyloid PET‐negative dementia
Authors: Takenoshita Naoto , Yamamoto Ryo , Hanyu Haruo , Kasuga Kensaku , Ikeuchi Takeshi , Ishii Kenji , Shimizu Soichiro 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundIn daily clinical practice, we often encounter cases with atypical clinical symptoms and imaging findings, even amoung those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.MethodForty‐nine cases of undiagnosed patients with atypical clinical symptoms or imaging findings underwent both amyloid PET and cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) examinations.They were divided into amyloid‐positive group(n = 25) and amyloid‐negative group(n = 24).The cerebrospinal fluid findings,neuropsychological examination findings,MRI findings,and SPECT findings were compared between the two groups.ResultCSF findings showed significant differences in amyloid‐β42,amyloid‐β42/40, and P‐tau between the two groups.There was no significant difference in MRI findings.SPECT findings showed a significant difference in decreased blood flow in the right parietal lobe and bilateral precuneus.ConclusionIn dementia patients with atypical clinical symptoms and imaging findings, CSF findings and decreased blood flow in the right parietal lobe and bilateral precuneus are suggested to be useful indicators to distinguish whether amyloid is involved in the back ground pathology.
Plasma oligomer βeta‐amyloid associated with disease severity and cerebral amyloid deposition in Alzheimer’s disease spectrum
Authors: Lim Hyun Kook , Wang Sheng‐Min , Um Yoo Hyun , Kang Dong Woo 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundMultimer detection system‐oligomeric amyloid‐ß (MDS‐OAß) measures plasma OAß level and is associated pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, no study investigated MDS‐OAß and cerebral Aß deposition among difference stages within AD spectrum.MethodWe studied 40 normal control (CN), 30 amyloid‐PET (A‐PET) negative mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 31 A‐PET positive MCI, and 22 A‐PET positive dementia.ResultThe one‐way analysis of variance showed group difference in MDS‐OAß. Post‐hoc analysis showed that MDS‐OAß was lowest in CN group and highest in A‐PET positive MCI group. Both A‐PET negative MCI and A‐PET positive dementia groups showed lower MDS‐OAß than A‐PET positive group dementia group (MDS‐OAß: CN < A‐PET negative MCI = A‐PET positive dementia < A‐PET positive MCI) (Figure 1). MDS‐OAß showed a positive correlation with global and regional cerebral Aß deposition measure using A‐PET.ConclusionOur results suggest that MDS‐OAβ shows a reverse U‐shape: increase with disease onset or when clinical symptoms appear, even before Aß pathology is evident in A‐PET, and then elevate as disease progresses but lower down as the disease becomes severe.
Decoding the non‐canonical role of Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 and its plausible interaction with Amyloid beta in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Das Russa , Mukhopadhyay Debashis 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundReceptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) that perform versatile roles in the disease landscape have been extensively studied in proliferative signaling, but their role in degeneration remains quite unexplored. Interestingly several of these RTKs are perturbed in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), of which Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 (DDR2) is an interesting candidate. DDR2 belongs to a unique set of RTKs that act as sensors of the Extracellular matrix (ECM) and mediate downstream signaling by binding to its ligand collagen.MethodWe investigated the expression and activity of DDR2 in our AD‐like cell model. We also looked for the expression of collagen levels which are well‐established ligands of DDR2. Docking studies were performed between Amyloid beta and DDR2 ectodomain to predict interactions between the two and some important residues were screened which are further being validated by site‐directed mutagenesis. We also performed Immunocytochemistry studies to investigate the localization of DDR2 under disease conditions.ResultThere is a significant upregulation in the DDR2 expression and activity as observed from western blot analysis and qRT PCR. There were no significant changes observed in the mRNA expression level of collagens in the control versus AD scenario. From the Molecular Docking studies between DDR2 and Aβ, we chose the best‐fitted model and screened a few interacting residues in the protein‐protein interface which were validated by site‐directed mutagenesis. Next, from Immunocytochemistry studies, we observed that DDR2 is naturally localized inside the nucleus of neuroblastoma cells and also present in the nucleus in AD‐like scenarios.ConclusionHeightened expression and activity of DDR2 in the absence of collagen, possibly in the presence of Aβ, results in its dysregulated trans‐compartmental distribution across the nucleocytoplasmic interfaces to commence AD‐like pathology. This study overall depicts a preliminary picture of DDR2 playing an essential role in AD and sheds light on its non‐canonical mode of signaling triggered by Aβ which needs further experimental validation.
Lifelong cognitive reserve mitigates the genetic risk of APOE and TOMM40 variants for dementia in Chinese older adults: a cohort study
Authors: Liang Xiaoyan , Li Yuanjing , Liu Rui , Ren Yifei , Fa Wenxin , Zhu Min , Liu Keke , Liu Cuicui , Wang Nan , Tian Na , Wang Yongxiang , Cong Lin , Hou Tingting , Du Yifeng , Qiu Chengxuan 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundEvidence has emerged that cognitive reserve (CR) could mitigate the genetic risk of APOE ε4 allele for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in Caucasian and Black populations. Whether CR counteracts dementia risk attributable to TOMM40 variants is unknown. We examined whether lifelong CR might modify the risk of dementia and AD from APOE and TOMM40 variants among Chinese older adults.MethodThis population‐based cohort study included 2052 dementia‐free participants from the Shandong Yanggu Study of Aging and Dementia, who were free of dementia at baseline (2014‐2015) and underwent follow‐up examinations in March‐September 2018. APOE (rs429358 and rs7412) and TOMM40 (rs2075650) were defined using multiple polymerase chain reaction amplification. A lifelong composite CR score was generated from six lifespan intellectual factors and then dichotomized into high and low levels according to the median CR score. Dementia and AD were clinically diagnosed following the international criteria. Data were analyzed using Cox proportional‐hazards models. The interaction between CR and APOE or TOMM40 variants was assessed on multiplicative and additive scales.ResultDuring an average of 3.72 years (range, 2.98‐4.46) of follow‐up, dementia was diagnosed in 94 persons, including 70 with AD. Overall, carrying APOE e4 allele (vs. non‐carriers) was associated with multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratio of 1.50 (95%CI: 0.91‐2.50) for dementia and 1.71 (0.97‐3.01) for AD; the corresponding figures were 1.76 (1.09‐2.85) and 1.81 (1.04‐3.15) for carrying TOMM40 G allele (vs. AA), and 0.47 (0.27‐0.80) and 0.52 (0.27‐0.996) for high CR, respectively. There was a significant additive interaction of APOE or TOMM40 variants with CR on risks of dementia and AD. Compared to low CR, having high lifelong CR was associated with a lower risk of developing dementia and AD in APOE e4 carriers, with multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratios being 0.17 (95%CI: 0.04‐0.73) and 0.13 (0.02‐1.02); the corresponding figures were 0.23 (0.07‐0.81) and 0.13 (0.02‐1.02) in TOMM40 G carriers, and 0.22(0.06‐0.74) and 0.12(0.02‐0.91) in APOE‐e4 or TOMM40 G carriers, respectively.ConclusionCarrying TOMM40 G or APOE e4 allele is associated with increased risks of dementia and AD in Chinese older adults, and the genetic risk could be counteracted by high lifelong CR capacity.