Chauveau Léa, Kuhn Elizabeth, Palix Cassandre, Felisatti Francesca, Ourry Valentin, de La Sayette Vincent, Chételat Gaël, de Flores Robin
U1237 PhIND, Inserm, Caen-Normandie University, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France.
U1077 NIMH, Inserm, Caen-Normandie University, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Caen, France.
Front Aging Neurosci. 2021 Oct 15;13:750154. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.750154. eCollection 2021.
Medial temporal lobe (MTL) atrophy is a key feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), however, it also occurs in typical aging. To enhance the clinical utility of this biomarker, we need to better understand the differential effects of age and AD by encompassing the full AD-continuum from cognitively unimpaired (CU) to dementia, including all MTL subregions with up-to-date approaches and using longitudinal designs to assess atrophy more sensitively. Age-related trajectories were estimated using the best-fitted polynomials in 209 CU adults (aged 19-85). Changes related to AD were investigated among amyloid-negative (Aβ-) ( = 46) and amyloid-positive (Aβ+) ( = 14) CU, Aβ+ patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) ( = 33) and AD ( = 31). Nineteen MCI-to-AD converters were also compared with 34 non-converters. Relationships with cognitive functioning were evaluated in 63 Aβ+ MCI and AD patients. All participants were followed up to 47 months. MTL subregions, namely, the anterior and posterior hippocampus (aHPC/pHPC), entorhinal cortex (ERC), Brodmann areas (BA) 35 and 36 [as perirhinal cortex (PRC) substructures], and parahippocampal cortex (PHC), were segmented from a T1-weighted MRI using a new longitudinal pipeline (LASHiS). Statistical analyses were performed using mixed models. Adult lifespan models highlighted both linear (PRC, BA35, BA36, PHC) and nonlinear (HPC, aHPC, pHPC, ERC) trajectories. Group comparisons showed reduced baseline volumes and steeper volume declines over time for most of the MTL subregions in Aβ+ MCI and AD patients compared to Aβ- CU, but no differences between Aβ- and Aβ+ CU or between Aβ+ MCI and AD patients (except in ERC). Over time, MCI-to-AD converters exhibited a greater volume decline than non-converters in HPC, aHPC, and pHPC. Most of the MTL subregions were related to episodic memory performances but not to executive functioning or speed processing. Overall, these results emphasize the benefits of studying MTL subregions to distinguish age-related changes from AD. Interestingly, MTL subregions are unequally vulnerable to aging, and those displaying non-linear age-trajectories, while not damaged in preclinical AD (Aβ+ CU), were particularly affected from the prodromal stage (Aβ+ MCI). This volume decline in hippocampal substructures might also provide information regarding the conversion from MCI to AD-dementia. All together, these findings provide new insights into MTL alterations, which are crucial for AD-biomarkers definition.
内侧颞叶(MTL)萎缩是阿尔茨海默病(AD)的一个关键特征,然而,它也会出现在正常衰老过程中。为了提高这种生物标志物的临床应用价值,我们需要通过涵盖从认知未受损(CU)到痴呆的整个AD连续体,包括所有MTL亚区域,采用最新方法并使用纵向设计来更敏感地评估萎缩,从而更好地理解年龄和AD的不同影响。使用最佳拟合多项式估计了209名CU成年人(年龄19 - 85岁)与年龄相关的轨迹。在淀粉样蛋白阴性(Aβ - )(n = 46)和淀粉样蛋白阳性(Aβ + )(n = 14)的CU、Aβ + 的轻度认知障碍(MCI)患者(n = 33)和AD患者(n = 31)中研究了与AD相关的变化。还将19名从MCI转变为AD的患者与34名未转变者进行了比较。在63名Aβ + 的MCI和AD患者中评估了与认知功能的关系。所有参与者随访长达47个月。使用一种新的纵向流程(LASHiS)从T1加权MRI中分割出MTL亚区域,即前海马和后海马(aHPC/pHPC)、内嗅皮质(ERC)、布罗德曼区域(BA)35和36[作为鼻周皮质(PRC)子结构]以及海马旁皮质(PHC)。使用混合模型进行统计分析。成人寿命模型突出了线性(PRC、BA35、BA36、PHC)和非线性(HPC、aHPC、pHPC、ERC)轨迹。组间比较显示,与Aβ - 的CU相比,Aβ + 的MCI和AD患者中大多数MTL亚区域的基线体积减小且随时间体积下降更陡峭,但Aβ - 和Aβ + 的CU之间或Aβ + 的MCI和AD患者之间没有差异(内嗅皮质除外)。随着时间推移,从MCI转变为AD的患者在海马、前海马和后海马中的体积下降比未转变者更大。大多数MTL亚区域与情景记忆表现相关,但与执行功能或速度处理无关。总体而言,这些结果强调了研究MTL亚区域以区分与年龄相关的变化和AD的益处。有趣的是,MTL亚区域对衰老的易损性不同,那些显示非线性年龄轨迹的区域,虽然在临床前AD(Aβ + 的CU)中未受损,但在前驱阶段(Aβ + 的MCI)受到特别影响。海马亚结构的这种体积下降也可能提供有关从MCI转变为AD痴呆的信息。总之,这些发现为MTL改变提供了新的见解,这对于AD生物标志物的定义至关重要。