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Neuroinflammation predicts disease progression in progressive supranuclear palsy

Publication: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry

Maura Malpetti, Luca Passamonti, P Simon Jones, Duncan Street, Timothy Rittman, Timothy D Fryer, Young T Hong, Patricia Vàsquez Rodriguez,  W Richard Bevan-Jones, Franklin I Aigbirhio, John T O’Brien, James B Rowe

17 March 2021

Summary:

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) causes dementia and movement disorders. Researchers show that it is associated with brain inflammation, in addition to tau protein build-up. Using a PET (Positron Emission Tomography ) brain scan they were able to map the presence of inflammation in the brain of living volunteers with PSP, who were followed up for several years.

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Validation of the new pathology staging system for progressive supranuclear palsy

Publication: Acta Neuropathologica

Mayen Briggs, Kieren Allinson, Maura Malpetti, Maria G. Spillantini, James B. Rowe, Sanne S. Kaalund

16 March 2021

Summary:

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative disorder. Researchers test the new PSP pathology staging system in an independent series of PSP, and test the potential association between pathology stage and clinical severity at death.

Researchers show that those with a higher pathology stage – more widespread pathology, at post mortem also scored higher on disease severity scales in life.

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Locus coeruleus integrity and the effect of atomoxetine on response inhibition in Parkinson’s disease

Publication: Brain

Claire O’Callaghan, Frank H Hezemans, Rong Ye, Catarina Rua, P Simon Jones, Alexander G Murley, Negin Holland, Ralf Regenthal, Kamen A Tsvetanov, Noham Wolpe, Roger A Barker, Caroline H Williams-Gray, Trevor W Robbins, Luca Passamonti, James B Rowe

30 March 2021

Summary:

Drugs that increase the brain’s noradrenaline can improve cognition in Parkinson’s disease. A challenge remains to identify those who will most benefit from noradrenergic drugs. We show that drug response depends on integrity of the locus coeruleus nucleus. This will inform clinical trial patient selection and treatment.

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Validation of the new pathology staging system for progressive supranuclear palsy

Publication: Acta Neuropathologica

Mayen Briggs, Kieren Allinson, Maura Malpetti, Maria G. Spillantini, James B. Rowe, Sanne S. Kaalund

28 March 2021

The research team validated a new system for staging brain pathology at post mortem in a devastating neurodegenerative diseases called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

They show that those with a higher pathology stage, i.e. more widespread pathology, at post mortem also scored higher on disease severity scales in life.

Standardised staging systems provides a common language for neuropathologists on what is considered mild, moderate and severe pathology. They can be used to test if treatments impact the severity of pathology, and make it easier to compare results between studies.

Showing that the pathology stage is associated with clinical severity, the next step will be to try and replicate the pathology staging in vivo using brain imaging, e.g. PET, to test if researchers can track pathogenesis alongside clinical disease progression.

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Predicting loss of independence and mortality in frontotemporal lobar degeneration syndromes

Publication: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry

Alexander G Murley, Matthew A Rouse, Ian T S Coyle-Gilchrist, P Simon Jones, Win Li, Julie Wiggins, Claire Lansdall, Patricia Vázquez Rodríguez, Alicia Wilcox, Karalyn Patterson, James B Rowe

9 February 2021

Summary

Researchers looked at the clinical features associated with survival in the syndromes related to frontotemporal lobar degeneration, including frontotemporal dementia, progressive suprnuclear palsy and corticobasal syndrome.

They found that behavioural disturbance, including impulsivity and apathy, is associated with reduced functionally independent survival.

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In vivo coupling of dendritic complexity with presynaptic density in primary tauopathies

Publication: Neurobiology of Ageing

ElijahMaka, NeginHolland, P. Simon Jones, George Savulich, Audrey Lowa, Maura Malpetti, Sanne Kaalund, Luca Passamonti, Timothy Rittman, Rafael Romero-Garciaa, Roido Manavakic, Guy B.Williams, Young T.Hong, Ti m D. Fryerb, Franklin I. Aigbirhio, John O’Brien, James Rowe

30 January 2021

Summary

Researchers found in neurodegenerative disorders of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Corticobasal Degeneration, the core communication units of the brain (present on nerve cell ‘bodies’ and ‘tails’) are tightly coupled together and are both significantly reduced by the disease process. The research shows changes in the brain of patients with neurodegenerative disorders and can help inform the design of clinical trials

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Apathy in pre-symptomatic genetic frontotemporal dementia predicts cognitive decline and is driven by structural brain changes

Publication: Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association

Maura Malpetti, P. Simon Jones, Kamen A. Tsvetanov, Timothy Rittman, John C. van Swieten, Barbara Borroni, Raquel Sanchez‐Valle, Fermin Moreno, Robert Laforce, Caroline Graff, Matthis Synofzik, Daniela Galimberti, Mario Masellis, Maria Carmela Tartaglia, Elizabeth Finger, Rik Vandenberghe, Alexandre de Mendonça, Fabrizio Tagliavini
Isabel Santana, Simon Ducharme, Chris R. Butler, Alexander Gerhard, Johannes Levin, Adrian Danek, Markus Otto,Giovanni B. Frisoni, Roberta Ghidoni, Sandro Sorbi,Carolin Heller,Emily G. Todd, Martina Bocchetta, David M. Cash,Rhian S. Convery, Georgia Peakman, Katrina M. Moore, Jonathan D. Rohrer, Rogier A. Kievit, James B. Rowe

15 December 2020

Summary:

Apathy – a lack of interest or motivation – could predict the onset of some forms of dementia many years before symptoms start, offering a ‘window of opportunity’ to treat the disease at an early stage. Apathy changes decades before dementia onset and is driven by early brain shrinkage in individuals at risk of dementia. Early signs of apathy before dementia predict a faster decline in cognitive performance. Apathy can point to early brain changes even years before dementia symptoms begin, providing a window of opportunity to intervene and slow disease progression. Read the full news story.

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Brain functional network integrity sustains cognitive function despite atrophy in presymptomatic genetic frontotemporal dementia

Publication: Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Kamen A. Tsvetanov, Stefano Gazzina, P. Simon Jones, John van Swieten, Barbara Borroni, Raquel Sanchez‐Valle, Fermin Moreno, James B. Rowe et al

20 November 2020

The presymptomatic phase of neurodegenerative disease can last many years, with sustained cognitive function despite progressive atrophy. The research team investigate this phenomenon in familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

There were group differences in brain structure and function, in the absence of differences in cognitive performance. Specifically, the researchers identified behaviorally relevant structural and functional network differences. Structure‐function relationships were similar in both groups, but coupling between functional connectivity and cognition was stronger for carriers than for non‐carriers, and increased with proximity to the expected onset of disease.

The findings suggest that the maintenance of functional network connectivity enables carriers to maintain cognitive performance.

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Imaging tau burden in dementia with Lewy bodies using [18F]-AV1451 positron emission tomography

Publication: Neurobiology of Aging

Elijah Mak, Nicolas Nicastro, Maura Malpetti, George Savulich, Ajenthan Surendranathan, Negin Holland, Luca Passamonti, Simon P. Jones, Stephen F. Carter, Li Su Young T.Hong, Tim D.Fryer, Guy B. Williams, Franklin Aigbirhio, James B. Rowe & John T. O’Brien

14 November 2020

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology is frequently observed as a comorbidity in people with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Here, the research team evaluated the in vivo distribution of tau burden and its influence on the clinical phenotype of DLB.

Tau deposition was quantified using [18F]-AV1451 positron emission tomography in people with DLB (n = 11) and AD (n = 27), and healthy controls (n = 14). A subset of subjects with Lewy body diseases (n = 4) also underwent [11C]-PK11195 PET to estimate microglial activation. [18F]-AV1451 BPND was lower in DLB compared to AD across widespread regions. The medial temporal lobe [18F]-AV1451 BPND distinguished people with DLB from AD (AUC = 0.87), and negatively correlated with ACE-R and MMSE. There was a high degree of colocalisation between [18F]-AV1451 and [11C]-PK11195 binding (p<0.001).

The findings of minimal tau burden in DLB confirm previous studies. Nevertheless, the associations of [18F]-AV1451 binding with cognitive impairment, suggest that tau may interact synergistically with other pathological processes to aggravate disease severity in DLB.

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In vivo PET imaging of neuroinflammation in familial frontotemporal dementia

Publication: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry

Maura Malpetti, Timothy Rittman, Peter Simon Jones, Thomas Edmund Cope, Luca Passamonti, William Richard Bevan-Jones, Karalyn Patterson, Tim D Fryer, Young T Hong, Franklin I Aigbirhio, John Tiernan O’Brien, James Benedict Rowe

29 October 2020

Summary:

Using PET imaging, researchers looked at neuro inflammation and abnormal growth of protein for patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). They found Familial FTD was associated with neuroinflammation across all genes and also reflected clinical heterogeneity. This research will be able to help to further understand the disease and in particular around the immune system to help with treatments and prevention.

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