Subtle Cognitive Deficits May Precede Amyloid Accumulation in Alzheimer ’s, Study Suggests

In the progression of Alzheimer ’s disease (AD), subtle cognitive difficulties may develop prior to or alongside the early phases of amyloid accumulation, according to astudy published Monday inNeurology. The findings challenge the hypothesis that amyloidosis (the buildup of amyloid proteins) comes first in the Alzheimer ’s disease process.Kelsey R. Thomas, Ph.D., of the VA San Diego Healthcare System and colleagues analyzed data from 747 people aged 55 to 90 without dementia who participated in theAlzheimer ’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. The participants received PET imaging to determine amyloid levels at baseline, then each year over four years.The researchers evaluated the cognitive abilities of the participants using memory, language, and attention tests at the beginning of the trial. In addition to examining the total score the participants earned on the cognitive tests, the researchers also gauged if the participants appeared to demonstrate errors in the processes used to complete the tasks. Based on these tests, the researchers divided the participants into three groups: those who were cognitively normal, those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and those with subtle cognitive difficulties.Baseline amyloid levels did not statistically differ between the participants who were cognitively normal or had subtle cognitive difficulties, but those with subtle cognitive difficulties showed faster rates of amyloid accumulation over the four-year study. Additional ...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Adam M. Brickman Alzheimer's disease amyloid attention Beth E. Snitz entorhinal cortex Kelsy Thomas language memory mild cognitive impairment Neurology Source Type: research