Alzheimer's disease

Details about this human disease

Synonyms (4)

AD, Alzheimer disease, familial, Alzheimers dementia, Alzheimer disease


Definitions (2)

A tauopathy that is characterized by memory lapses, confusion, emotional instability and progressive loss of mental ability and results in progressive memory loss, impaired thinking, disorientation, and changes in personality and mood starting and leads in advanced cases to a profound decline in cognitive and physical functioning and is marked histologically by the degeneration of brain neurons especially in the cerebral cortex and by the presence of neurofibrillary tangles and plaques containing beta-amyloid., Xref MGI. OMIM mapping confirmed by DO. [SN].


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Related items

Olfactory function is associated with cognitive performance: results from the population-based LIFE-Adult-Study.
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: Studies in older adults or those with cognitive impairment have shown associations between cognitive and olfactory performance, but there are few population-based studies especially in … younger adults. We therefore cross-sectionally analyzed this association using data from the population-based LIFE-Adult-Study. METHODS: Cognitive assessments comprised tests from the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD): verbal fluency (VF), word list learning and recall (WLL, WLR), and the Trail Making Tests (TMT) A and B. The "Sniffin' Sticks Screening 12" test was used to measure olfactory performance. Linear regression analyses were performed to determine associations between the number of correctly identified odors (0 to 12) and the five cognitive test scores, adjusted for sex, age, education, and the presence of depressive symptoms. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was carried out to determine the discriminative performance of the number of correctly identified odors regarding identification of cognition impairment. RESULTS: A total of 6783 participants (51.3% female) completed the olfaction test and the VF test and TMT. A subgroup of 2227 participants (46.9% female) also completed the WLL and WLR tests. Based on age-, sex-, and education-specific norms from CERAD, the following numbers of participants were considered cognitively impaired: VF 759 (11.2%), WLL 242 (10.9%), WLR: 132 (5.9%), TMT-A 415 (6.1%), and TMT-B/A ratio 677 (10.0%). On average, score values for VF were higher by 0.42 points (p < 0.001), for WLL higher by 0.32 points (p = 0.001), for WLR higher by 0.31 points (p = 0.002), for TMT-A lower by 0.25 points (p < 0.001), and for TMT-B/A ratio lower by 0.01 points (p < 0.001) per number of correctly identified odors. ROC analysis revealed area under the curve values from 0.55 to 0.62 for the five cognitive tests. CONCLUSIONS: Better olfactory performance was associated with better cognitive performance in all five tests in adults - adjusted for age, sex, education, and the presence of depressive symptoms. However, the ability of the smell test to discriminate between individuals with and without cognitive impairment was limited. The value of olfactory testing in early screening for cognitive impairment should be investigated in longitudinal studies.

Authors: M. Yahiaoui-Doktor, T. Luck, S. G. Riedel-Heller, M. Loeffler, K. Wirkner, C. Engel

Date Published: 10th May 2019

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: Alzheimer's disease

Secular trends in the incidence of dementia in high-income countries: a protocol of a systematic review and a planned meta-analysis.
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

INTRODUCTION: A global dementia epidemic is projected for the year 2050 with an ever-rising number of individuals living with the syndrome worldwide. However, increasingly, studies are emerging from … high-income countries (HIC) that show a positive trend towards a possible decrease in dementia occurrence. Therefore, we aim to systematically summarise evidence regarding secular trends in the incidence of dementia in HIC. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will conduct a systematic review of the literature on secular trends in dementia incidence in HIC according to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) and the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) statements. To do so, we will search the databases MEDLINE (PubMed interface), EMBASE (Ovid interface) and Web of Science (Web of Science interface), as well as the grey literature on unpublished studies. To be eligible, studies must have been published in English or German since 1990 and provide sufficient information on prespecified eligibility criteria regarding outcome measurement and methodological approach. Study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. Disagreement will be resolved by discussion and/or the involvement of a third researcher. Data abstraction will include study and participant characteristics, outcomes and methodological aspects. Results will be described and discussed regarding methodology. Depending on the number of studies found and the heterogeneity between the studies, we plan to combine outcome data through meta-analysis in order to get pooled incidence measures. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No primary data will be collected; thus, ethical approval is not required. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42016043232.

Authors: S. Roehr, A. Pabst, T. Luck, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 7th Apr 2017

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: dementia, Alzheimer's disease

Outcomes of stable and unstable patterns of subjective cognitive decline - results from the Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged (LEILA75+).
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), i.e., the self-perceived feeling of worsening cognitive function, may be the first notable syndrome of preclinical Alzheimer's disease and other … dementias. However, not all individuals with SCD progress. Stability of SCD, i.e., repeated reports of SCD, could contribute to identify individuals at risk, as stable SCD may more likely reflect the continuous neurodegenerative process of Alzheimer's and other dementias. METHODS: Cox regression analyses were used to assess the association between stability of SCD and progression to MCI and dementia in data derived from the population-based Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged (LEILA75+). RESULTS: Of 453 cognitively unimpaired individuals with a mean age of 80.5 years (SD = 4.2), 139 (30.7 %) reported SCD at baseline. Over the study period (M = 4.8 years, SD = 2.2), 84 (18.5 %) individuals had stable SCD, 195 (43.1 %) unstable SCD and 174 (38.4 %) never reported SCD. Stable SCD was associated with increased risk of progression to MCI and dementia (unadjusted HR = 1.8, 95 % CI = 1.2-2.6; p < .01), whereas unstable SCD yielded a decreased progression risk (unadjusted HR = 0.5, 95 % CI = 0.4-0.7; p < .001) compared to no SCD. When adjusted for baseline cognitive functioning, progression risk in individuals with stable SCD was significantly increased in comparison to individuals with unstable SCD, but not compared to individuals without SCD. CONCLUSIONS: Our results, though preliminary, suggest that stable SCD, i.e., repeated reports of SCD, may yield an increased risk of progression to MCI and dementia compared to unstable SCD. Baseline cognitive scores, though within a normal range, seem to be a driver of progression in stable SCD. Future research is warranted to investigate whether stability could hold as a SCD research feature.

Authors: S. Roehr, A. Villringer, M. C. Angermeyer, T. Luck, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 4th Nov 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: dementia, Alzheimer's disease

Differential Risk of Incident Alzheimer's Disease Dementia in Stable Versus Unstable Patterns of Subjective Cognitive Decline.
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether longitudinal stability versus instability in subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a modifying factor of the association between SCD and risk of incident Alzheimer's … disease (AD) dementia. OBJECTIVE: We tested the modifying role of temporal stability of the SCD report on AD dementia risk in cognitively normal elderly individuals. METHODS: We analyzed data of 1,990 cognitively normal participants from the longitudinal AgeCoDe Study. We assessed SCD with/without associated worries both at baseline and first follow-up 18 months later. Participants were then classified either as (a) Controls (CO, with no SCD at both baseline and follow-up 1, n = 613), (b) inconsistent SCD (with SCD reported only at baseline or at follow-up 1, n = 637), (c) consistent SCD but without/or with inconsistent worries (n = 610) or (d) consistent SCD with worries (n = 130). We estimated incident AD dementia risk over up to 6 years for each group with Cox-Proportional Hazard Regression analyses adjusted for age, gender, education, ApoE4 status, and depression. RESULTS: Compared to CO, inconsistent SCD was not associated with increased risk of incident AD dementia. In contrast, risk was doubled in the group of consistent SCD without/ with inconsistent worries, and almost 4-fold in the group of consistent SCD with worries. These results could be replicated when using follow-up 1 to follow-up 2 response patterns for group definition. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that longitudinal stability versus instability is an important modifying factor of the association between SCD and AD dementia risk. Worrisome SCD that is also consistently reported over time is associated with greatly increased risk of AD dementia.

Authors: S. Wolfsgruber, L. Kleineidam, M. Wagner, E. Mosch, H. Bickel, D. Lupsilonhmann, A. Ernst, B. Wiese, S. Steinmann, H. H. Konig, C. Brettschneider, T. Luck, J. Stein, S. Weyerer, J. Werle, M. Pentzek, A. Fuchs, W. Maier, M. Scherer, S. G. Riedel-Heller, F. Jessen

Date Published: 4th Oct 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: dementia, Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's Disease FDG PET Imaging Pattern in an Amyloid-Negative Mild Cognitive Impairment Subject.
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

The revised NIA-AA diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD make use of amyloid pathology and neurodegeneration biomarkers which increase the … diagnostic confidence in the majority of patients. However, in daily praxis, cases with conflicting biomarker constellations occur. A MCI subject underwent neuropsychological testing supplemented by FDG and amyloid PET/MRI as well as CSF sampling. In this subject, the biomarkers of Abeta deposition were negative. [18F]FDG PET, however, showed an AD-typical hypometabolism. Further studies are required to determine frequency and relevance of cases with neurodegeneration-first biomarker constellations to improve our understanding on pathogenesis and diagnosis of AD.

Authors: S. Tiepolt, M. Patt, K. T. Hoffmann, M. L. Schroeter, O. Sabri, H. Barthel

Date Published: 25th Sep 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: cognitive disorder, Alzheimer's disease

Dissociation of amyloid biomarkers in PET and CSF in Alzheimer's disease: a case report.
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: Recently, biomarkers have been suggested to be incorporated into diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Regarding disease-specific brain amyloid-beta deposition these comprise … low amyloid-beta 1-42 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and positive positron emission tomography (PET) amyloid imaging, while neuronal degeneration is evidenced by high total and phosphorylated tau levels in CSF (t-/p-tau), regional hypometabolism ([(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET, FDG-PET) and characteristic atrophy-patterns (magnetic resonance imaging, MRI). CASE PRESENTATION: Here we present a case of clinically and biomarker supported AD (CSF t-/p-tau, MRI, FDG-PET) in a 59-year-old Caucasian man in whom indicators of amyloid-beta deposition dissociated between CSF parameters and the respective PET imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Such cases highlight the necessity to better understand potential dissociations between PET and CSF data for amyloid-beta biomarkers, because they are currently considered interchangeably valid with regard to in-vivo evidence for AD pathology. This is more important since amyloid deposition markers can be considered a very first prognostic indicator of imminent AD, prior to neurodegenerative biomarkers and cognitive symptoms. The case illustrates the need for further longitudinal data on potential dissociations of AD biomarkers to devise recommendations for their better prognostic and diagnostic interpretation in the future.

Authors: M. L. Schroeter, S. Tiepolt, A. Marschhauser, A. Thone-Otto, K. T. Hoffmann, H. Barthel, H. Obrig, O. Sabri

Date Published: 26th Aug 2015

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: Alzheimer's disease

Elevated HbA1c is associated with increased risk of incident dementia in primary care patients.
LIFE Adult

Abstract (Expand)

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor of dementia. The effect of T2DM treatment quality on dementia risk, however, is unclear. 1,342 elderly individuals recruited via general practitioner … registries (AgeCoDe cohort) were analyzed. This study analyzed the association between HbA1c level and the incidence of all-cause dementia (ACD) and of Alzheimer's disease dementia (referred to here as AD). HbA1c levels >/=6.5% were associated with 2.8-fold increased risk of incident ACD (p = 0.027) and for AD (p = 0.047). HbA1c levels >/=7% were associated with a five-fold increased risk of incident ACD (p = 0.001) and 4.7-fold increased risk of incident AD (p = 0.004). The T2DM diagnosis per se did not increase the risk of either ACD or AD. Higher levels of HbA1c are associated with increased risk of ACD and AD in an elderly population. T2DM diagnosis was not associated with increased risk if HbA1c levels were below 7%.

Authors: A. Ramirez, S. Wolfsgruber, C. Lange, H. Kaduszkiewicz, S. Weyerer, J. Werle, M. Pentzek, A. Fuchs, S. G. Riedel-Heller, T. Luck, E. Mosch, H. Bickel, B. Wiese, J. Prokein, H. H. Konig, C. Brettschneider, M. M. Breteler, W. Maier, F. Jessen, M. Scherer

Date Published: 20th Dec 2014

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: diabetes mellitus, dementia, Alzheimer's disease

Assess, compare and enhance the status of Persons with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in Europe: a European Register for MS.
LIFE - Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases

Abstract (Expand)

OBJECTIVES: Persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) experience health-related quality of life (HRQoL) problems greatly differing across Europe, and the European Union (EU) faces deep inequalities in MS … management from country to country. Through the establishment of a European MS Register (EUReMS), an effective action is proposed to improve the overall knowledge on MS and support effective intervention programmes at EU and national political level. EUReMS aims to achieve consensus on its mission and vision, to define existing data providers, to develop models driving future MS health policies and research, to develop an information technology (IT) infrastructure for a data set, to develop a European shared governance and to secure providers' data provision into EUReMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EUReMS is meant to build on a minimum set of core data from existing national and regional population-based MS registries and from PwMS' perspectives. EUReMS' main partner is the European MS Platform (EMSP) acting in collaboration with associated and collaborating European partners. RESULTS: EUReMS was launched in July 2011. A Consensus Statement on purposes, vision, mission and strategies was produced in December 2011, and a comprehensive survey on existing MS data collections in Europe has been performed, and the EUReMS data mask is currently being discussed. CONCLUSIONS: EUReMS will represent a tool to provide up to date, comparable and sustainable MS data through an effective and credible register, which will encourage extensive knowledge building of MS, more equitable policies and higher standards in MS treatment and services.

Authors: M. Pugliatti, D. Eskic, T. Mikolcic, D. Pitschnau-Michel, K. M. Myhr, J. Sastre-Garriga, S. Otero, L. Wieczynska, C. Torje, E. Holloway, O. Rienhoff, T. Friede, K. Buckow, D. Ellenberger, J. Hillert, A. Glaser, P. Flachenecker, J. Fuge, T. Schyns-Liharska, E. Kasilingam, A. Moretti, C. Thalheim

Date Published: 3rd Jan 2013

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: dementia, Alzheimer's disease

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