Browsing by Author "Lai, Florence"
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Item A pathway linking pulse pressure to dementia in adults with Down syndrome(Oxford University Press, 2024-05-09) Rizvi, Batool; Lao, Patrick J.; Sathishkumar, Mithra; Taylor, Lisa; Queder, Nazek; McMillan, Liv; Edwards, Natalie C.; Keator, David B.; Doran, Eric; Hom, Christy; Nguyen, Dana; Rosas, H. Diana; Lai, Florence; Schupf, Nicole; Gutierrez, Jose; Silverman, Wayne; Lott, Ira T.; Mapstone, Mark; Wilcock, Donna M.; Head, Elizabeth; Yassa, Michael A.; Brickman, Adam M.; Neurology, School of MedicineAdults with Down syndrome are less likely to have hypertension than neurotypical adults. However, whether blood pressure measures are associated with brain health and clinical outcomes in this population has not been studied in detail. Here, we assessed whether pulse pressure is associated with markers of cerebrovascular disease and is linked to a diagnosis of dementia in adults with Down syndrome via structural imaging markers of cerebrovascular disease and atrophy. The study included participants with Down syndrome from the Alzheimer’s Disease - Down Syndrome study (n = 195, age = 50.6 ± 7.2 years, 44% women, 18% diagnosed with dementia). Higher pulse pressure was associated with greater global, parietal and occipital white matter hyperintensity volume but not with enlarged perivascular spaces, microbleeds or infarcts. Using a structural equation model, we found that pulse pressure was associated with greater white matter hyperintensity volume, which in turn was related to increased neurodegeneration, and subsequent dementia diagnosis. Pulse pressure is an important determinant of brain health and clinical outcomes in individuals with Down syndrome despite the low likelihood of frank hypertension.Item Cerebrovascular disease drives Alzheimer plasma biomarker concentrations in adults with Down syndrome(medRxiv, 2023-11-30) Edwards, Natalie C.; Lao, Patrick J.; Alshikho, Mohamad J.; Ericsson, Olivia M.; Rizvi, Batool; Petersen, Melissa E.; O’Bryant, Sid; Flores-Aguilar, Lisi; Simoes, Sabrina; Mapstone, Mark; Tudorascu, Dana L.; Janelidze, Shorena; Hansson, Oskar; Handen, Benjamin L.; Christian, Bradley T.; Lee, Joseph H.; Lai, Florence; Rosas, H. Diana; Zaman, Shahid; Lott, Ira T.; Yassa, Michael A.; Gutierrez, José; Wilcock, Donna M.; Head, Elizabeth; Brickman, Adam M.; Neurology, School of MedicineImportance: By age 40 years over 90% of adults with Down syndrome (DS) have Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and most progress to dementia. Despite having few systemic vascular risk factors, individuals with DS have elevated cerebrovascular disease (CVD) markers that track with the clinical progression of AD, suggesting a role for CVD that is hypothesized to be mediated by inflammatory factors. Objective: To examine the pathways through which small vessel CVD contributes to AD-related pathophysiology and neurodegeneration in adults with DS. Design: Cross sectional analysis of neuroimaging, plasma, and clinical data. Setting: Participants were enrolled in Alzheimer's Biomarker Consortium - Down Syndrome (ABC-DS), a multisite study of AD in adults with DS. Participants: One hundred eighty-five participants (mean [SD] age=45.2 [9.3] years) with available MRI and plasma biomarker data were included. White matter hyperintensity (WMH) volumes were derived from T2-weighted FLAIR MRI scans and plasma biomarker concentrations of amyloid beta (Aβ42/Aβ40), phosphorylated tau (p-tau217), astrocytosis (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP), and neurodegeneration (neurofilament light chain, NfL) were measured with ultrasensitive immunoassays. Main outcomes and measures: We examined the bivariate relationships of WMH, Aβ42/Aβ40, p-tau217, and GFAP with age-residualized NfL across AD diagnostic groups. A series of mediation and path analyses examined causal pathways linking WMH and AD pathophysiology to promote neurodegeneration in the total sample and groups stratified by clinical diagnosis. Results: There was a direct and indirect bidirectional effect through GFAP of WMH on p-tau217 concentration, which was associated with NfL concentration in the entire sample. Among cognitively stable participants, WMH was directly and indirectly, through GFAP, associated with p-tau217 concentration, and in those with MCI, there was a direct effect of WMH on p-tau217 and NfL concentrations. There were no associations of WMH with biomarker concentrations among those diagnosed with dementia. Conclusions and relevance: The findings suggest that among individuals with DS, CVD promotes neurodegeneration by increasing astrocytosis and tau pathophysiology in the presymptomatic phases of AD. This work joins an emerging literature that implicates CVD and its interface with neuroinflammation as a core pathological feature of AD in adults with DS.Item Cerebrovascular disease is associated with Alzheimer's plasma biomarker concentrations in adults with Down syndrome(Oxford University Press, 2024-09-25) Edwards, Natalie C.; Lao, Patrick J.; Alshikho, Mohamad J.; Ericsson, Olivia M.; Rizvi, Batool; Petersen, Melissa E.; O’Bryant, Sid; Flores Aguilar, Lisi; Simoes, Sabrina; Mapstone, Mark; Tudorascu, Dana L.; Janelidze, Shorena; Hansson, Oskar; Handen, Benjamin L.; Christian, Bradley T.; Lee, Joseph H.; Lai, Florence; Rosas, H. Diana; Zaman, Shahid; Lott, Ira T.; Yassa, Michael A.; Alzheimer’s Biomarkers Consortium–Down Syndrome (ABC-DS) Investigators; Gutierrez, José; Wilcock, Donna M.; Head, Elizabeth; Brickman, Adam M.; Neurology, School of MedicineBy age 40 years, over 90% of adults with Down syndrome have Alzheimer's disease pathology and most progress to dementia. Despite having few systemic vascular risk factors, individuals with Down syndrome have elevated cerebrovascular disease markers that track with the clinical progression of Alzheimer's disease, suggesting a role of cerebrovascular disease that is hypothesized to be mediated by inflammatory factors. This study examined the pathways through which small vessel cerebrovascular disease contributes to Alzheimer's disease-related pathophysiology and neurodegeneration in adults with Down syndrome. One hundred eighty-five participants from the Alzheimer's Biomarkers Consortium-Down Syndrome [mean (SD) age = 45.2 (9.3) years] with available MRI and plasma biomarker data were included in this study. White matter hyperintensity (WMH) volumes were derived from T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MRI scans, and plasma biomarker concentrations of amyloid beta 42/40, phosphorylated tau 217, astrocytosis (glial fibrillary acidic protein) and neurodegeneration (neurofilament light chain) were measured with ultrasensitive immunoassays. We examined the bivariate relationships of WMH, amyloid beta 42/40, phosphorylated tau 217 and glial fibrillary acidic protein with age-residualized neurofilament light chain across Alzheimer's disease diagnostic groups. A series of mediation and path analyses examined statistical pathways linking WMH and Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology to promote neurodegeneration in the total sample and groups stratified by clinical diagnosis. There was a direct and indirect bidirectional effect through the glial fibrillary acidic protein of WMH on phosphorylated tau 217 concentration, which was associated with neurofilament light chain concentration in the entire sample. Amongst cognitively stable participants, WMH was directly and indirectly, through glial fibrillary acidic protein, associated with phosphorylated tau 217 concentration, and in those with mild cognitive impairment, there was a direct effect of WMH on phosphorylated tau 217 and neurofilament light chain concentrations. There were no associations of WMH with biomarker concentrations among those diagnosed with dementia. The findings from this cross-sectional study suggest that among individuals with Down syndrome, cerebrovascular disease promotes neurodegeneration by increasing astrocytosis and tau pathophysiology in the presymptomatic phases of Alzheimer's disease, but future studies will need to confirm these associations with longitudinal data. This work joins an emerging literature that implicates cerebrovascular disease and its interface with neuroinflammation as a core pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease in adults with Down syndrome.Item Comparison of amyloid accumulation between Down syndrome and autosomal-dominant Alzheimer disease(Wiley, 2022) Boerwinkle, Anna H.; Gordon, Brian A.; Wisch, Julie K.; Flores, Shaney; Henson, Rachel L.; Butt, Omar Hameed; Chen, Charles D.; Benzinger, Tammie L. S.; Fagan, Anne M.; Handen, Benjamin L.; Christian, Bradley T.; Head, Elizabeth; Mapstone, Mark; Klunk, William E.; Rafii, Michael S.; O’Bryant, Sid E.; Price, Julie C.; Schupf, Nicole; Laymon, Charles M.; Krinsky-McHale, Sharon J.; Lai, Florence; Rosas, H. Diana; Hartley, Sigan L.; Zaman, Shahid; Lott, Ira T.; Silverman, Wayne; Brickman, Adam M.; Lee, Joseph H.; Allegri, Ricardo Francisco; Berman, Sarah; Chhatwal, Jasmeer P.; Chui, Helena C.; Cruchaga, Carlos; Farlow, Martin R.; Fox, Nick C.; Goate, Alison; Day, Gregory S.; Graff-Radford, Neill R.; Jucker, Mathias; Lee, Jae-Hong; Levin, Johannes; Martins, Ralph N.; Mori, Hiroshi; Perrin, Richard J.; Salloway, Stephen P.; Sanchez-Valle, Raquel; Schofield, Peter R.; Xiong, Chengjie; Karch, Celeste M.; Hassenstab, Jason J.; McDade, Eric; Bateman, Randall J.; Ances, Beau M.; Neurology, School of MedicineBackground: Given the triplication of chromosome 21 and the location of the amyloid precursor protein gene on chromosome 21, almost all adults with Down syndrome (DS) develop Alzheimer disease (AD)-like pathology and dementia during their lifetime. Comparing amyloid accumulation in DS to autosomal dominant AD (ADAD), another genetic form of AD, may improve our understanding of early AD pathology development. Method: We assessed amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in 192 participants with DS and 33 sibling controls from the Alzheimer’s Biomarker Consortium-Down Syndrome (ABC-DS) and 265 mutation-carriers (MC) and 169 familial controls from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) (Table 1). We calculated regional standard uptake value ratios (SUVR) using a cerebellar cortex reference region and converted global amyloid burden SUVR to centiloids. We compared amyloid PET by cognitive status and estimated-years-to-symptom-onset (EYO). EYO was calculated for DIAN participants by subtracting their age from parental age of symptom onset and for ABC-DS participants by subtracting their age from 50.2 years, a published average age of symptom onset in a large sample of individuals with DS (Fortea et al., 2020). In a subset of participants, we assessed the relationship between amyloid PET and CSF Aβ42/40. Result: The relationship between CSF Aβ42/40 and amyloid PET was similar in DS and MC participants (Figure 1). We did not observe significant differences between MC and DS grouped by cognitive status (Figure 2). However, when assessed over EYO, global amyloid burden was significantly elevated in MC at EYO ≥ -23 but was not elevated in DS until EYO ≥ -15 (Figure 3). We observed early cortical and subcortical amyloid PET increases in both groups, but we also measured some regional differences in amyloid PET changes between MC and DS, specifically in the medial occipital region (Figure 4 and 5). Conclusion: These results demonstrate similarities in the relationship between amyloid biomarkers and the levels of amyloid accumulation in ADAD and DS. However, we also observed a 5-10 year delay and some regional differences in amyloid accumulation in DS. This is important for future clinical trials to consider when recruiting participants and determining treatment efficacy.Item Cross-Sectional Exploration of Plasma Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease in Down Syndrome: Early Data from the Longitudinal Investigation for Enhancing Down Syndrome Research (LIFE-DSR) Study(MDPI, 2021-04-28) Hendrix, James A.; Airey, David C.; Britton, Angela; Burke, Anna D.; Capone, George T.; Chavez, Ronelyn; Chen, Jacqueline; Chicoine, Brian; Costa, Alberto C.S.; Dage, Jeffrey L.; Doran, Eric; Esbensen, Anna; Evans, Casey L.; Faber, Kelley M.; Foroud, Tatiana M.; Hart, Sarah; Haugen, Kelsey; Head, Elizabeth; Hendrix, Suzanne; Hillerstrom, Hampus; Kishnani, Priya S.; Krell, Kavita; Ledesma, Duvia Lara; Lai, Florence; Lott, Ira; Ochoa-Lubinoff, Cesar; Mason, Jennifer; Nicodemus-Johnson, Jessie; Proctor, Nicholas Kyle; Pulsifer, Margaret B.; Revta, Carolyn; Rosas, H. Diana; Rosser, Tracie C.; Santoro, Stephanie; Schafer, Kim; Scheidemantel, Thomas; Schmitt, Frederick; Skotko, Brian G.; Stasko, Melissa R.; Talboy, Amy; Torres, Amy; Wilmes, Kristi; Woodward, Jason; Zimmer, Jennifer A.; Feldman, Howard H.; Mobley, William; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of MedicineWith improved healthcare, the Down syndrome (DS) population is both growing and aging rapidly. However, with longevity comes a very high risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The LIFE-DSR study (NCT04149197) is a longitudinal natural history study recruiting 270 adults with DS over the age of 25. The study is designed to characterize trajectories of change in DS-associated AD (DS-AD). The current study reports its cross-sectional analysis of the first 90 subjects enrolled. Plasma biomarkers phosphorylated tau protein (p-tau), neurofilament light chain (NfL), amyloid β peptides (Aβ1-40, Aβ1-42), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were undertaken with previously published methods. The clinical data from the baseline visit include demographics as well as the cognitive measures under the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB) and Down Syndrome Mental Status Examination (DS-MSE). Biomarker distributions are described with strong statistical associations observed with participant age. The biomarker data contributes to understanding DS-AD across the spectrum of disease. Collectively, the biomarker data show evidence of DS-AD progression beginning at approximately 40 years of age. Exploring these data across the full LIFE-DSR longitudinal study population will be an important resource in understanding the onset, progression, and clinical profiles of DS-AD pathophysiology.Item Increased fibrin deposition in the brains of individuals with Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease(Wiley, 2025-01-03) Du, Annie; Flores-Aguilar, Lisi; Edwards, Natalie C.; Lao, Patrick J.; Ryu, Jae Kyu; Akassoglou, Katerina; Wilcock, Donna M.; Kofler, Julia; Ikonomovic, Milos D.; Lai, Florence; Brickman, Adam M.; Head, Elizabeth; Neurology, School of MedicineBackground: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have an increased genetic risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with most adults developing AD neuropathology in their 40s. Despite having a low frequency of systemic vascular risk factors such as hypertension and atherosclerosis, adults with DS display cerebrovascular pathology, including microbleeds, microinfarcts, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. This suggests that blood‐brain barrier (BBB) integrity may be compromised allowing the extravasation of blood proteins in the brain parenchyma. The blood coagulation factor fibrin promotes immune‐mediated neurodegeneration and is a marker of BBB disruption in a wide range of neurological diseases. This study investigated the severity of fibrin deposition as a measure of BBB integrity in the brains of adults with DS and AD pathology (DSAD). We hypothesized that fibrin deposition is increased in DSAD in comparison to neurotypical controls without DS or AD. Method: Fibrin immunoreactivity was assessed by free‐floating immunohistochemistry in 30µm tissue sections from the occipital cortex from neurotypical controls (n = 12; 41‐65 years old) and DSAD (n = 12; 46‐66 years old). Using whole slide imaging, brain sections were digitized, and the severity of fibrin deposition was scored using Aperio Imagescope. Result: Individuals with DSAD display significantly higher fibrin deposition in the white and grey matter of the occipital cortex in comparison to the age‐matched neurotypical controls (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Neurotypical controls display minimal fibrin deposition in the brain parenchyma and perivascular space. However, compared to neurotypical controls, adults with DS at advanced stages of AD neuropathology display significant fibrin deposition in the occipital cortex, suggesting that the BBB may be compromised in this population.Item Joint-label fusion brain atlases for dementia research in Down syndrome(Wiley, 2022-05-25) Queder, Nazek; Phelan, Michael J.; Taylor, Lisa; Tustison, Nicholas; Doran, Eric; Hom, Christy; Nguyen, Dana; Lai, Florence; Pulsifer, Margaret; Price, Julie; Kreisl, William C.; Rosas, Herminia D.; Krinsky-McHale, Sharon; Brickman, Adam M.; Yassa, Michael A.; Schupf, Nicole; Silverman, Wayne; Lott, Ira T.; Head, Elizabeth; Mapstone, Mark; Keator, David B.; Alzheimer’s Biomarkers Consortium; Neurology, School of MedicineResearch suggests a link between Alzheimer's Disease in Down Syndrome (DS) and the overproduction of amyloid plaques. Using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) we can assess the in-vivo regional amyloid load using several available ligands. To measure amyloid distributions in specific brain regions, a brain atlas is used. A popular method of creating a brain atlas is to segment a participant's structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. Acquiring an MRI is often challenging in intellectually-imparied populations because of contraindications or data exclusion due to significant motion artifacts or incomplete sequences related to general discomfort. When an MRI cannot be acquired, it is typically replaced with a standardized brain atlas derived from neurotypical populations (i.e. healthy individuals without DS) which may be inappropriate for use in DS. In this project, we create a series of disease and diagnosis-specific (cognitively stable (CS-DS), mild cognitive impairment (MCI-DS), and dementia (DEM-DS)) probabilistic group atlases of participants with DS and evaluate their accuracy of quantifying regional amyloid load compared to the individually-based MRI segmentations. Further, we compare the diagnostic-specific atlases with a probabilistic atlas constructed from similar-aged cognitively-stable neurotypical participants. We hypothesized that regional PET signals will best match the individually-based MRI segmentations by using DS group atlases that aligns with a participant's disorder and disease status (e.g. DS and MCI-DS). Our results vary by brain region but generally show that using a disorder-specific atlas in DS better matches the individually-based MRI segmentations than using an atlas constructed from cognitively-stable neurotypical participants. We found no additional benefit of using diagnose-specific atlases matching disease status. All atlases are made publicly available for the research community.Item Plasma Total-Tau and Neurofilament Light Chain as Diagnostic Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Adults with Down Syndrome(IOS Press, 2021) Petersen, Melissa E.; Rafii, Michael S.; Zhang, Fan; Hall, James; Julovich, David; Ances, Beau M.; Schupf, Nicole; Krinsky-McHale, Sharon J.; Mapstone, Mark; Silverman, Wayne; Lott, Ira; Klunk, William; Head, Elizabeth; Christian, Brad; Foroud, Tatiana; Lai, Florence; Rosas, H. Diana; Zaman, Shahid; Wang, Mei-Cheng; Tycko, Benjamin; Lee, Joseph H.; Handen, Benjamin; Hartley, Sigan; Fortea, Juan; O’Bryant, Sid; Alzheimer’s Biomarker Consortium – Down Syndrome (ABC-DS); Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of MedicineBackground: The need for diagnostic biomarkers of cognitive decline is particularly important among aging adults with Down syndrome (DS). Growing empirical support has identified the utility of plasma derived biomarkers among neurotypical adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, the application of such biomarkers has been limited among the DS population. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional diagnostic performance of plasma neurofilament light chain (Nf-L) and total-tau, individually and in combination among a cohort of DS adults. Methods: Plasma samples were analyzed from n = 305 (n = 225 cognitively stable (CS); n = 44 MCI-DS; n = 36 DS-AD) participants enrolled in the Alzheimer's Biomarker Consortium -Down Syndrome. Results: In distinguishing DS-AD participants from CS, Nf-L alone produced an AUC of 90%, total-tau alone reached 74%, and combined reached an AUC of 86%. When age and gender were included, AUC increased to 93%. Higher values of Nf-L, total-tau, and age were all shown to be associated with increased risk for DS-AD. When distinguishing MCI-DS participants from CS, Nf-L alone produced an AUC of 65%, while total-tau alone reached 56%. A combined model with Nf-L, total-tau, age, and gender produced an AUC of 87%. Both higher values in age and total-tau were found to increase risk for MCI-DS; Nf-L levels were not associated with increased risk for MCI-DS. Conclusion: Advanced assay techniques make total-tau and particularly Nf-L useful biomarkers of both AD pathology and clinical status in DS and have the potential to serve as outcome measures in clinical trials for future disease-modifying drugs.