Biology subjects

Adams, J. N.

Publications and source records attributed to Adams, J. N..

12 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Harmonized Protocol for Segmentation of the Hippocampal Tail on High-Resolution in vivo MRI from the Hippocampal Subfields Group (HSG)

The hippocampus is a heterogeneous structure with cytoarchitectonically distinct subfields that exhibit heterogeneous lifespan trajectories and are differentially susceptible to diseases. Advances in high-resolution imaging have accelerated research on these structures, yet variability in segmentation protocols limits cross-study comparability. The Hippocampal Subfields Group (HSG) is an international consortium addressing this challenge by developing a reliable, accessible, and freely available segmentation protocol for high-resolution T2-weighted 3 tesla MRI scans (http://www.hippocampalsubfields.com). Here, we present the harmonized protocol for the posterior portion of the hippocampus (the "tail"), complementing the previously established "body" protocol, and with an anterior "head" protocol under development. The tail protocol provides standardized definitions of the external boundaries for the posterior-most extent of the hippocampus, facilitating consistent segmentation from surrounding tissues. The research community was extensively involved through an online survey that incorporated comprehensive protocol details, feasibility assessments, tutorial videos, and illustrative segmentations. Through this collaborative process, consensus emerged to exclude subfield labeling in the hippocampal tail due to limited visibility of internal landmarks and substantial anatomical variability in this region. All proposed boundary guidelines were deemed clear and agreed upon via a Delphi procedure. The harmonized tail protocol has high intra-(Averaged ICC(2,1) > 0.98; Averaged Dice Similarity Coefficient = 0.92) and inter-rater reliability (Averaged ICC(2,k) > 0.98; Averaged Dice Similarity Coefficient = 0.86) and offers a practical framework for replicable segmentation. By establishing standardized guidelines, this protocol enhances comparability of findings across developmental, aging, and clinical research and is compatible with ongoing technological advances.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Longitudinal functional connectivity during rest and task is differentially related to Alzheimer's pathology and episodic memory in older adults

Changes in functional connectivity (FC) strength involving the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and posteromedial cortex (PMC) are related to early Alzheimers pathology and alterations in episodic memory performance in cognitively unimpaired older adults, but their dynamics remain unclear. We examined how longitudinal changes in FC involving MTL and PMC during resting-state, episodic memory encoding, and retrieval relate to subsequent amyloid- and tau- PET burden, longitudinal episodic memory performance, and the APOE4 genotype in 152 cognitively unimpaired older adults from the PREVENT-AD cohort. We found APOE4- and fMRI paradigm-dependent associations of change in FC strength with pathology burden and change in episodic memory performance. Decreasing FC over time, or "hypoconnectivity", within PMC during rest in APOE4 carriers and during retrieval in APOE4 non-carriers was related to more amyloid and tau, respectively. Conversely, increasing FC over time, or "hyperconnectivity", within MTL during encoding in APOE4 carriers and between MTL and PMC during retrieval independent of APOE4 status was related to more tau. Further, increasing FC between MTL and PMC during rest, unlike during encoding, was beneficial for episodic memory. Our study highlights that pathology-related episodic memory network changes manifest differently during rest and task and have differential implications for episodic memory trajectories.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Differential effects of aging, Alzheimer's pathology, and APOE4 on longitudinal functional connectivity and episodic memory in older adults

INTRODUCTIONBoth aging and Alzheimers disease (AD) affect episodic memory networks. How this relates to region-specific early differences in functional connectivity (FC), however, remains unclear. METHODSWe assessed resting-state FC strength in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) - posteromedial cortex (PMC) - prefrontal network and cognition over two years in cognitively normal older adults from the PREVENT-AD cohort. RESULTSFC strength within PMC and between posterior hippocampus and inferomedial precuneus decreased in "normal" aging (amyloid- and tau-negative adults). Lower FC strength within PMC was associated with poorer longitudinal episodic memory performance. Increasing FC between anterior hippocampus and superior precuneus was related to higher baseline AD pathology. Higher FC strength was differentially associated with memory trajectories depending on APOE4 genotype. DISCUSSIONFindings suggest differential effects of aging and AD pathology on longitudinal FC. MTL-PMC hypoconnectivity was related to aging and cognitive decline. Furthermore, MTL-PMC hyperconnectivity was related to early AD pathology and cognitive decline in APOE4 carriers. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=86 SRC="FIGDIR/small/627967v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (21K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@12c0cc9org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@fb7c6borg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@a56bdforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@4d1773_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG O_FLOATNOGraphical abstract.C_FLOATNO A) "Normal aging" is characterized by a longitudinal decrease in functional connectivity. B) Cognitively unimpaired older adults with more Alzheimers pathology at baseline (measured via cerebrospinal fluid) exhibit a longitudinal increase in functional connectivity. C_FIG

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Parallel neuroinflammatory pathways to cerebrovascular injury and amyloid-beta in Alzheimer's disease

ImportanceWhile the hallmark pathologies of amyloid-beta (A{beta}) and tau in Alzheimers disease (AD) are well documented and even part of the definition, upstream neuroinflammation is thought to play an important role but remains poorly understood. ObjectivesWe tested whether two distinct neuroinflammatory markers are associated with cerebrovascular injury and A{beta}, and whether these markers are associated with plasma phosphorylated tau (pTau) concentration, medial temporal lobe (MTL) cortical and hippocampal atrophy, and memory deficits. We examined neuroinflammatory markers plasma YKL-40 and GFAP, due to previous conflicting evidence relating YKL-40 and GFAP to AD pathogenic markers. DesignCross-sectional data from a community observational study (Biomarker Exploration in Aging, Cognition, and Neurodegeneration - BEACoN) were included. SettingAll participants were enrolled in a single site, at University of California, Irvine. Participants126 participants were included if they had at least one of the following measures available: neuropsychological data, MRI, A{beta}-PET, or plasma. ExposuresPlasma YKL-40 and plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels. Main outcomes and measuresWhite matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, 18F-florbetapir (FBP) PET mean SUVR, plasma phosphorylated tau (pTau-217) concentration, MTL cortical thickness, hippocampal volume, and memory function assessed by Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Using path analysis, we tested whether higher plasma YKL-40 and GFAP are associated with WMH and A{beta}, and whether these converge to downstream markers of tauopathy, MTL neurodegeneration, and memory deficits. ResultsIn older adults without dementia (N=126, age=70.60+6.29, 62% women), we found that higher plasma YKL-40 concentration was associated with greater WMH volume, while higher plasma GFAP concentration was related to increased FBP SUVR. Further, higher plasma GFAP, WMH and FBP SUVR were independently associated with increased pTau-217. In turn, plasma pTau-217 was associated with reduced MTL cortical thickness and hippocampal volume. Subsequently, only reduced hippocampal volume was related to lower memory function. Conclusions and RelevanceNeuroinflammatory markers contribute to parallel pathways of cerebrovascular injury and A{beta}, which converge to tau-associated neurodegeneration and memory deficits in older adults. These observations underscore the need for a more comprehensive approach to developing an AD framework and treatment strategies. KEY POINTSO_ST_ABSQuestionC_ST_ABSHow does neuroinflammation impact downstream features of cerebrovascular injury and amyloid-beta (A{beta}) in Alzheimers disease? FindingsIn this study of 126 older adults without dementia, we found evidence for two distinct neuroinflammatory pathways that lead to neurodegeneration and memory deficits. One path involves plasma YKL-40 and its impact on cerebrovascular injury, as measured by white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on MRI scans. The other involves plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and its impact on A{beta} deposition measured via 18F-florbetapir (FBP) PET. Both pathways converged on tauopathy, measured by plasma pTau-217, which was associated with lower medial temporal lobe (MTL) cortical thickness and hippocampal volume, and consequently, memory deficits. MeaningInflammation acts on Alzheimers disease mechanisms via multiple distinct and parallel pathways which converge downstream onto neurodegeneration. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=110 SRC="FIGDIR/small/616579v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (32K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@2d3c39org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1ccc453org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@6d40bdorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@b543cb_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG Credit: BioRender was used to help create this graphical abstract.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Amyloid-β deposition in basal frontotemporal cortex is associated with selective disruption of temporal mnemonic discrimination

Cerebral amyloid-beta (A{beta}) accumulation, a hallmark pathology of Alzheimers disease (AD), precedes clinical impairment by two to three decades. However, it is unclear whether A{beta} contributes to subtle memory deficits observed during the preclinical stage. The heterogenous emergence of A{beta} deposition may selectively impact certain memory domains, which rely on distinct underlying neural circuits. In this context, we tested whether specific domains of mnemonic discrimination, a neural computation essential for episodic memory, exhibit specific deficits related to early A{beta} deposition. We tested 108 cognitively unimpaired human older adults (66% female) who underwent 18F-florbetapir positron emission tomography (A{beta}-PET), and a control group of 35 young adults, on a suite of mnemonic discrimination tasks taxing object, spatial, and temporal domains. We hypothesized that A{beta} pathology would be selectively associated with temporal discrimination performance due to A{beta}s propensity to accumulate in the basal frontotemporal cortex, which supports temporal processing. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found a dissociation in which generalized age-related deficits were found for object and spatial mnemonic discrimination, while A{beta}-PET levels were selectively associated with deficits in temporal mnemonic discrimination. Further, we found that higher A{beta}-PET levels in medial orbitofrontal and inferior temporal cortex, regions supporting temporal processing, were associated with greater temporal mnemonic discrimination deficits, pointing to the selective vulnerability of circuits related to temporal processing early in AD progression. These results suggest that A{beta} accumulation within basal frontotemporal regions may disrupt temporal mnemonic discrimination in preclinical AD, and may serve as a sensitive behavioral biomarker of emerging AD progression.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Age-related constraints on the spatial geometry of the brain

Age-related structural brain changes may be better captured by assessing complex spatial geometric differences rather than isolated changes to individual regions. We applied a novel analytic method to quantify age-related changes to the spatial anatomy of the brain by measuring expansion and compression of global brain shape and the distance between cross-hemisphere homologous regions. To test how global brain shape and regional distances are affected by aging, we analyzed 2,603 structural MRIs (range: 30-97 years). Increasing age was associated with global shape expansion across inferior-anterior gradients, global compression across superior-posterior gradients, and regional expansion between frontotemporal homologues. Specific patterns of global and regional expansion and compression were further associated with clinical impairment and distinctly related to deficits in various cognitive domains. These findings suggest that changes to the complex spatial anatomy and geometry of the aging brain may be associated with reduced efficiency and cognitive dysfunction in older adults.

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bioRxiv2023

A (Sub)field Guide to Quality Control in Hippocampal Subfield Segmentation on High-resolution T2-weighted MRI

Inquiries into properties of brain structure and function have progressed due to developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To sustain progress in investigating and quantifying neuroanatomical details in vivo, the reliability and validity of brain measurements are paramount. Quality control (QC) is a set of procedures for mitigating errors and ensuring the validity and reliability of brain measurements. Despite its importance, there is little guidance on best QC practices and reporting procedures. The study of hippocampal subfields in vivo is a critical case for QC because of their small size, inter-dependent boundary definitions, and common artifacts in the MRI data used for subfield measurements. We addressed this gap by surveying the broader scientific community studying hippocampal subfields on their views and approaches to QC. We received responses from 37 investigators spanning 10 countries, covering different career stages, and studying both healthy and pathological development and aging. In this sample, 81% of researchers considered QC to be very important or important, and 19% viewed it as fairly important. Despite this, only 46% of researchers reported on their QC processes in prior publications. In many instances, lack of reporting appeared due to ambiguous guidance on relevant details and guidance for reporting, rather than absence of QC. Here, we provide recommendations for correcting errors to maximize reliability and minimize bias. We also summarize threats to segmentation accuracy, review common QC methods, and make recommendations for best practices and reporting in publications. Implementing the recommended QC practices will collectively improve inferences to the larger population, as well as have implications for clinical practice and public health.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Medial temporal lobe functional network architecture supports sleep-related emotional memory processing in older adults

Memory consolidation occurs via reactivation of a hippocampal index during non-rapid eye movement slow-wave sleep (NREM SWS) which binds attributes of an experience existing within cortical modules. For memories containing emotional content, hippocampal-amygdala dynamics facilitate consolidation over a sleep bout. This study tested if modularity and centrality--graph theoretical measures that index the level of segregation/integration in a system and the relative import of its nodes--map onto central tenets of memory consolidation theory and sleep-related processing. Findings indicate that greater network integration is tied to overnight emotional memory retention via NREM SWS expression. Greater hippocampal and amygdala influence over network organization supports emotional memory retention, and hippocampal or amygdala control over information flow are differentially associated with distinct stages of memory processing. These centrality measures are also tied to the local expression and coupling of key sleep oscillations tied to sleep-dependent memory consolidation. These findings suggest that measures of intrinsic network connectivity may predict the capacity of brain functional networks to acquire, consolidate, and retrieve emotional memories.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

NODDI-derived measures of microstructural integrity in medial temporal lobe white matter pathways are associated with Alzheimer's disease pathology and cognitive outcomes

INTRODUCTIONDiffusion tensor imaging has been used to assess white matter (WM) changes in the early stages of Alzheimers disease (AD). However, the tensor model is necessarily limited by its assumptions. Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) can offer insights into microstructural features of WM change. We assessed whether NODDI more sensitively detects AD-related changes in medial temporal lobe WM than traditional tensor metrics. METHODSStandard diffusion and NODDI metrics were calculated for medial temporal WM tracts from 199 older adults drawn from ADNI3 who also received PET to measure pathology and neuropsychological testing. RESULTSNODDI measures in medial temporal tracts were more strongly correlated to cognitive performance and pathology than standard measures. The combination of NODDI and standard metrics exhibited the strongest prediction of cognitive performance in random forest analyses. CONCLUSIONSNODDI metrics offer additional insights into contributions of WM degeneration to cognitive outcomes in the aging brain.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Pathological brain states in Alzheimer's disease

Dynamic and rapid reconfigurations of neural activation patterns, known as brain states, support cognition. Recent analytic advances applied to functional magnetic resonance imaging now enable the quantification of brain states, which offers a substantial methodological improvement in characterizing spatiotemporal dynamics of activation over previous functional connectivity methods. Dysfunction to the persistence and temporal transitions between discrete brain states may be proximal factors reflecting neurophysiological disruptions in Alzheimers disease, although this has not yet been established. Here, we identified six distinct brain states, representing spatiotemporal trajectories of coactivation at single time points, in older adults across the Alzheimers disease continuum. Critically, we identified a pathological brain state that reflects coactivation within limbic regions. Higher persistence within and transitions to this limbic state, at the expense of other brain states, is associated with an increased likelihood of a clinically impaired diagnosis, worse cognitive performance, greater Alzheimers pathology, and neurodegeneration. Together, our results provide compelling evidence that neural activity settling into a pathological limbic state reflects the progression to Alzheimers disease. As brain states have recently been shown to be modifiable targets, this work may inform the development of novel neuromodulation techniques to reduce limbic state persistence. This application would be an innovative clinical approach to rescue cognitive decline in the early stages of Alzheimers disease.

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bioRxiv2023

Comparison of histological delineations of medial temporal lobe cortices by four independent neuroanatomy laboratories

The medial temporal lobe (MTL) cortex, located adjacent to the hippocampus, is crucial for memory and prone to the accumulation of certain neuropathologies such as Alzheimers disease neurofibrillary tau tangles. The MTL cortex is composed of several subregions which differ in their functional and cytoarchitectonic features. As neuroanatomical schools rely on different cytoarchitectonic definitions of these subregions, it is unclear to what extent their delineations of MTL cortex subregions overlap. Here, we provide an overview of cytoarchitectonic definitions of the cortices that make up the parahippocampal gyrus (entorhinal and parahippocampal cortices) and the adjacent Brodmann areas (BA) 35 and 36, as provided by four neuroanatomists from different laboratories, aiming to identify the rationale for overlapping and diverging delineations. Nissl-stained series were acquired from the temporal lobes of three human specimens (two right and one left hemisphere). Slices (50 {micro}m thick) were prepared perpendicular to the long axis of the hippocampus spanning the entire longitudinal extent of the MTL cortex. Four neuroanatomists annotated MTL cortex subregions on digitized (20X resolution) slices with 5 mm spacing. Parcellations, terminology, and border placement were compared among neuroanatomists. Cytoarchitectonic features of each subregion are described in detail. Qualitative analysis of the annotations showed higher agreement in the definitions of the entorhinal cortex and BA35, while definitions of BA36 and the parahippocampal cortex exhibited less overlap among neuroanatomists. The degree of overlap of cytoarchitectonic definitions was partially reflected in the neuroanatomists agreement on the respective delineations. Lower agreement in annotations was observed in transitional zones between structures where seminal cytoarchitectonic features are expressed more gradually. The results highlight that definitions and parcellations of the MTL cortex differ among neuroanatomical schools and thereby increase understanding of why these differences may arise. This work sets a crucial foundation to further advance anatomically-informed human neuroimaging research on the MTL cortex.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Entorhinal-hippocampal circuit integrity is related to mnemonic discrimination and amyloid-β pathology in older adults

Mnemonic discrimination, a cognitive process that relies on hippocampal pattern separation, is one of the first memory domains to decline in aging and preclinical Alzheimers disease. We tested if functional connectivity (FC) within the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit, measured with high-resolution resting state fMRI, is associated with mnemonic discrimination and A{beta} pathology, measured with PET, in nondemented older adults. Low object mnemonic discrimination performance was specifically associated with increased FC between anterolateral entorhinal cortex (alEC) and dentate gyrus (DG)/CA3, supporting the importance of this connection to object memory. This hyperconnectivity between alEC-DG/CA3 was related to A{beta} pathology and decreased entorhinal cortex volume. In contrast, spatial mnemonic discrimination was not associated with altered FC. A{beta} was further associated with decreased FC and volume within hippocampal subfields. Our findings suggest that A{beta} may indirectly lead to memory impairment through entorhinal-hippocampal circuit dysfunction and neurodegeneration, and provide a mechanism for vulnerability of object mnemonic discrimination.

neuroscience↗