Background

Cognitive screening is important for the oldest-old (age 90 +). This age group is the fastest growing and has the highest risk of dementia. However, norms and score equivalence for screening tests are lacking for this group.

Aims

To provide norms and score equivalence for commonly used cognitive screening tests for the oldest-old.

Methods

Data on 157 participants of the Center for Healthy Aging Longevity Study aged 90 + were analyzed. First, we derived norms for (1) subtests and cognitive domains of the in-person Montreal Cognitive Assessment having a maximum score of 30 (MoCA-30) and (2) the total MoCA-22 score, obtained from the in-person MoCA-30 by summing the subtests that do not require visual input to a maximum score of 22. These norms were derived from 124 participants with a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≥ 27. Second, we derived score equivalences for MMSE to MoCA-30 and MoCA-22, and MoCA-30 to MoCA-22 using equipercentile equating method with log-linear smoothing, based on all 157 participants.

Results

MoCA-22 total score norms are: mean = 18.3(standard deviation = 2.2). An MMSE score of 27 is equivalent to a MoCA-30 score of 22 and a MoCA-22 score of 16.

Discussion and conclusions

Subtest, domain and MoCA-22 norms will aid in evaluation of the oldest-old who cannot complete the MoCA-30 or are tested over the phone. The equivalences of the three cognitive tests (MMSE, MoCA-30, MoCA-22) in the oldest-old will facilitate continuity of cognitive tracking of individuals tested with different tests over time and comparison of the studies that use different cognitive tests.

Studies have demonstrated associations between cardiovascular factors and Alzheimer disease (AD) with minimal focus on other neurodegenerative diseases. Utilizing cross-sectional data from 17,532 individuals in the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center, Uniform Data Set, we compared the presence of cardiovascular factors [body mass index (BMI), atrial fibrillation, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes] in individuals carrying a diagnosis of Probable AD (ProbAD), Possible AD, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, or corticobasal degeneration, with that of normals. Generalized linear mixed models were fitted with age at visit, gender, and cardiovascular factors as fixed effects and Alzheimer's Disease Centers as random effects. In late life, only BMI of ProbAD and DLB patients was statistically significantly lower than that in normals (P-values <0.001). When accounting for colinearity within cardiovascular factors, a low BMI was a comorbidity of certain dementia etiologies as compared with normals. These data support a concept of disease-specific associations with certain cardiovascular factors.

Background

Carriers of the ApoE ϵ4 allele are at a greater risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and those who do develop AD tend to have a much greater neuropathological disease burden. Although several studies have shown significant differences in AD pathology among ϵ4 carriers and non-carriers, few have characterized these differences in terms of brain region and neuropathological score frequency.

Methods

566 pathologically-confirmed AD cases who were followed prospectively with antemortem dementia diagnoses (312 ApoE ϵ4 carriers and 254 ApoE ϵ4 non-carriers) were compared on the frequencies of neuropathological frequency scores (none, sparse, moderate, frequent) among several different brain regions (frontal, temporal, parietal, hippocampal, and entorhinal) using the CERAD scoring system. Pathology score frequencies were analyzed by carrier status (ϵ4 carrier vs. ϵ4 non-carrier) and by genotype (2/3, 3/3, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4). Both analyses investigated pathology score frequencies among different brain regions (frontal, temporal, parietal, hippocampal, and entorhinal).

Results

ϵ4 carriers had a significantly lower age at death (p <0.001) and significantly higher Braak scores (p <0.001) than ϵ4 non-carriers. Genotype comparison revealed that plaque and tangle pathologies increased in the following pattern, 2/3<3/3<2/4<3/4<4/4, for several brain regions. When stratified by age and ApoE ϵ4 carrier status, ϵ4 carriers tended to have significantly more frequent scores across most cortical areas. However, non-carriers age 90 and older tended to have greater plaque pathology than carriers. For tangle pathology, ϵ4 carriers tended to have significantly more "frequent" scores than non-carriers, except for the hippocampal and entorhinal areas in individuals age 90 and older.

Conclusions

ApoE ϵ4 carriers had a significantly higher percentage of "frequent" scores for plaques and tangles when compared to ApoE ϵ4 non-carriers for several brain regions. However, ϵ4 non-carriers age 90 and older tended to have less plaque and tangle pathology in certain brain regions. These results demonstrate that AD pathology may manifest itself differently based on ApoE genotype and suggest that ApoE carriers and non-carriers may have different patterns of AD neuropathology location and density.

Identifying biomarkers that distinguish Parkinson's disease (PD) from normal control (NC) individuals has the potential to increase diagnostic sensitivity for the detection of early-stage PD. A previous proteomic study identified potential biomarkers in postmortem ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (V-CSF) from neuropathologically diagnosed PD subjects lacking Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology. In the present study, we assessed these biomarkers as well as p-tau(181), Aβ42, and S100B by ELISA in PD (n = 43) and NC (n = 49) cases. The p-tau(181)/Aβ42 ratio and ApoA-1 showed statistically significant differences between groups. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that p-tau(181)/Aβ42 had a significant odds ratio: OR = 1.42 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-1.84), P = 0.006. Among the molecules investigated, intriguing correlations were observed that require further investigation. Our results suggest coexistent AD CSF biomarkers within the PD group notwithstanding that it was selected to minimize AD neuropathological lesions.

Background

Although there are studies investigating the pathologic origins of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), they have revolved around comparisons to normal elderly individuals or those with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or other dementias. There are few studies directly comparing the comprehensive neuropathology of amnestic (aMCI) and nonamnestic (naMCI) MCI.

Methods

The database of the Brain and Body Donation Program ( www.brainandbodydonationprogram.org ), a longitudinal clinicopathological study of normal aging and neurodegenerative disorders, was queried for subjects who were carrying a diagnosis of aMCI or naMCI at the time of autopsy. Neuropathological lesions, including neuritic plaques, neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), Lewy bodies (LBs), infarcts, cerebral white matter rarefaction (CWMR), cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), and concurrent major clinicopathological diagnoses, including Parkinson's disease (PD) were analyzed.

Results

Thirty four subjects with aMCI and 15 naMCI met study criteria. Subjects with aMCI were older at death (88 vs. 83 years of age, p = 0.03). Individuals with naMCI had higher densities of LBs within the temporal lobe (p = 0.04) while subjects with aMCI had a propensity for increased NFTs in parietal and temporal lobes (p values = 0.07). After adjusting for age at death, the only significant difference was greater densities of temporal lobe NFTs within the aMCI group. Other regional pathology scores for plaques, NFTs, and LBs were similar between groups. Subjects met clinico-pathological criteria for co-existent PD in 24 % aMCI and 47 % naMCI while neuropathological criteria for AD were met in equal percentages of aMCI and of naMCI cases (53 %); these proportional differences were not significant (p values > 0.35). Furthermore, regardless of amnestic status, there was a greater presence of CAA (71 % of MCI with executive dysfunction vs. 39 % without p = 0.03) and a greater presence of CWMR (81 % of MCI with executive dysfunction and 54 % without p = 0.046) in MCI cases with executive dysfunction.

Conclusions

No single pathologic entity strongly dichotomized MCI groups, perhaps due to the pathologic heterogeneity found within both entities. However, these data suggest the possibility for naMCI to have a propensity for increased LBs and aMCI for increased NFTs in select anatomic regions.

The Brain and Body Donation Program (BBDP) at Banner Sun Health Research Institute (http://www.brainandbodydonationprogram.org) started in 1987 with brain-only donations and currently has banked more than 1600 brains. More than 430 whole-body donations have been received since this service was commenced in 2005. The collective academic output of the BBDP is now described as the Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders (AZSAND). Most BBDP subjects are enrolled as cognitively normal volunteers residing in the retirement communities of metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. Specific recruitment efforts are also directed at subjects with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and cancer. The median age at death is 82. Subjects receive standardized general medical, neurological, neuropsychological and movement disorders assessments during life and more than 90% receive full pathological examinations by medically licensed pathologists after death. The Program has been funded through a combination of internal, federal and state of Arizona grants as well as user fees and pharmaceutical industry collaborations. Subsets of the Program are utilized by the US National Institute on Aging Arizona Alzheimer's Disease Core Center and the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Brain and Tissue Resource for Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders. Substantial funding has also been received from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The Program has made rapid autopsy a priority, with a 3.0-hour median post-mortem interval for the entire collection. The median RNA Integrity Number (RIN) for frozen brain and body tissue is 8.9 and 7.4, respectively. More than 2500 tissue requests have been served and currently about 200 are served annually. These requests have been made by more than 400 investigators located in 32 US states and 15 countries. Tissue from the BBDP has contributed to more than 350 publications and more than 200 grant-funded projects.