Association of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s Disease: New Entity or Coincidence? A Case Series
Authors: Vrillon, Agathe | Deramecourt, Vincent | Pasquier, Florence | Magnin, Éloi | Wallon, David | Lozeron, Pierre | Bouaziz-Amar, Élodie | Paquet, Claire
Article Type: Short Communication
Abstract: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia have a strong clinical, genetic, and pathological connection but association of ALS with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is seldom reported. We report a series of 5 cases of AD associated with ALS. Our patients presented with cognitive deterioration with episodic memory impairment meeting criteria for AD. ALS occurred subsequently in all cases and its phenotype was not homogenous. Amyloid process was confirmed in four cases with cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. One case underwent postmortem exam, demonstrating hallmarks lesions of both diseases. This series highlights that ALS-AD phenotype could be a specific underexplored entity.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, neurodegenerative disorders, neuropathology
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-215226
Citation: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 84, no. 4, pp. 1439-1446, 2021
The Diagnostic Value of a Short Memory Test: The TNI-93
Authors: Foucard, Cendrine | Palisson, Juliette | Belin, Catherine | Bereaux, Chloé | Dumurgier, Julien | Paquet, Claire | Degos, Bertrand | Bouaziz-Amar, Elodie | Maillet, Didier | Houot, Marion | Garcin, Béatrice
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: Background: The TNI-93 is a quick memory test designed for all patients regardless of their education level. A significant proportion of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are illiterate or poorly educated, and only a few memory tests are adapted for these patients. Objective: In this study we aimed at assessing the diagnostic value of the TNI-93 for diagnosis of patients with biologically confirmed amyloid status. Methods: We included all patients who had an analysis of AD cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, a neuropsychological assessment including a TNI-93 and an anatomical brain imaging at Avicenne Hospital between January 2009 and November 2019. We …compared the TNI-93 scores in patients with amyloid abnormalities (A+) and patients without amyloid abnormalities (A-) according to the AT(N) diagnostic criteria. Results: 108 patients were included (mean age: 66.9±8.5 years old, mean education level: 8.9±5.2 years). Patients from the A + group (N= 80) were significantly more impaired than patients from the A- group (N= 28) on immediate recall (A+: 5.9±2.8; A-: 7.4±2.6; p = 0.001), free recall (A+: 3.5±2.7; A-: 5.9±2.8; p ≤ 0.001), total recall (A+: 5.7±3.5; A-:7.8±2.8; p ≤ 0.001), and on number of intrusions during the recall phase (A+: 1±1.8; A-: 0.1±0.3; p = 0.002). ROC curves revealed that the best scores to discriminate A + from A- patients were immediate recall (Area under curve (AUC): 0.70), number of encoding trials (AUC: 0.73), free recall (AUC: 0.74), and total recall (AUC: 0.74). Conclusion: The TNI-93’s immediate, free, and total recalls are valuable tools for the 39 diagnosis of AD. Show more
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, AT(N), cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, illiteracy, memory test, neuropsychology
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-210546
Citation: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 84, no. 4, pp. 1461-1471, 2021
Distribution of Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarker Profiles in Patients Explored for Cognitive Disorders
Authors: Paquet, Claire | Bouaziz-Amar, Elodie | Cognat, Emmanuel | Volpe-Gillot, Lisette | Haddad, Victor | Mahieux, Florence | Dekimeche, Siham | Defontaines, Benedicte | Chabriat, Hugues | Belin, Catherine | Texeira, Antonio | Goutagny, Stephane | Questel, Frank | Azuar, Julien | Sellier, Pierre-Olivier | Laplanche, Jean-Louis | Hugon, Jacques | Dumurgier, Julien
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: Background: CSF Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers allow classifying individuals based on their levels of amyloid and neurodegeneration pathologies. Objective: To investigate the distribution of AD biomarker profiles from patients suffering from cognitive disorders. Methods: We analyzed 3001 patients with cognitive disorders and referred by 18 French memory clinics located in and around Paris. Patients were classified as normal, amyloidosis (A+/N–), amyloidosis and neurodegeneration (A+/N+) or suspected non-AD pathophysiology (SNAP), according to their CSF levels of biomarkers. Analysis were performed for the overall population and stratified by gender, age quintiles, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score quintiles. Results were compared to …previous findings in cohorts of healthy elderly adults. Results: 37% of the sample were classified as A+/N+, 22% were classified A+/N–, and 15% as SNAP. The A+/N+ profile was associated with female gender, advanced age, and lower MMSE score, while the A+/N–profile was observed more frequently in men and the distribution was stable across age and MMSE. The SNAP profile showed no association with gender or age, was less frequent in patients with lower MMSE, and had a lower repartition than the one previously reported in asymptomatic populations. Conclusions: While A+/N+ patients had the clinical characteristics typically observed in AD, A+/N–patients had a different epidemiological pattern (higher frequency in men, no association with advanced age or lower MMSE). The SNAP profile was less frequent than previously reported in the general elderly population, suggesting that this profile is not a frequent cause of memory impairment in this population. Show more
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid, biomarkers, cerebrospinal fluid, cohort, epidemiology, SNAP
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-180240
Citation: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 64, no. 3, pp. 889-897, 2018