Biology subjects

Pascoal, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Pascoal, T..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Impact of cardiometabolic factors and blood beta-amyloid on the volume of white matter hyperintensities in dementia-free subjects with cognitive complaints

IntroductionWhite matter hyperintensities (WMH) in Alzheimers disease (AD) have traditionally been associated with cerebrovascular diseases. Amyloid {beta} (A{beta}) deposition reportedly contributes to WMHs; however, this relationship remains unclear in dementia-free subjects with cognitive complaints (CC). Here, we explored the relationship between WMHs and cardiometabolic and A{beta} blood biomarkers in a community-based cohort of Latin American CC participants. MethodsWe recruited 112 individuals with CC (69 - 92 YO, 90 females) with available plasma A{beta} biomarkers and cardiometabolic markers (systolic - diastolic blood pressure and glycaemia). WMHs were quantified using a lesion segmentation tool based on SPM12 and segmented using the John Hopkins University (JHU) Atlas and ALVIN segmentation for periventricular and subcortical white matter. Linear multiple regression models were fitted to assess total WMH lesions and the segmented tract, using demographics, cardiometabolic, and A{beta} blood biomarker measures as independent variables. ResultsAfter multiple comparison corrections, diastolic blood pressure was associated with WMHs, specifically in the right anterior thalamic radiation, left cingulum, minor forceps, and subcortical ALVIN segmentation. Glycaemia was associated with WMH volume in forceps major, forceps minor, and right fronto-occipital fasciculi. Conversely, A{beta} blood biomarkers and systolic blood pressure showed no association with WMH overall or in specific tracts. ConclusionOur findings suggest that, in dementia-free CC individuals, WMH volume was more related to cardiometabolic factors, whereas A{beta} blood biomarkers might be of less relevance. Dementia prevention strategies in individuals might be a useful focus for managing high peripheral vessel resistance and endothelial damage due to hypertension and hyperglycaemia.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Transcriptomic similarities and differences between mouse models and human Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimers disease (AD) is a multifactorial pathology, with most cases having a sporadic origin. Recently, knock-in (KI) models have been developed with the promise of resembling better sporadic human AD, such as the novel hA{beta}-KI mouse. Here, we compared hippocampal publicly available transcriptomic profiles of transgenic (5xFAD and APP/PS1) and KI (hA{beta}-KI) mouse models with early- (EOAD) and late- (LOAD) onset AD patients. Experimental validation of consistently dysregulated genes revealed four altered in mice (SLC11A1, S100A6, CD14, CD33, C1QB) and three in humans (S100A6, SLC11A1, KCNK). Additionally, the three mouse models presented more Gene Ontology biological processes terms and enriched signaling pathways in common with LOAD than with EOAD individuals. Finally, we identified 17 transcription factors potentially acting as master regulators of AD. Our cross-species analyses revealed that the three mouse models presented a remarkable similarity to LOAD, with the hA{beta}-KI being the more specific one.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Impact of long- and short-range fiber depletion on the cognitive deficits of fronto-temporal dementia

Fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by focal atrophy of the gray matter (GM), especially in the frontal and temporal regions. Recent studies suggest a framework where white matter (WM) atrophy plays an important role in FTD pathophysiology. However, these studies often overlook the fact that WM tracts bridging different brain regions may have different vulnerabilities to the disease and the relative contribution of GM atrophy to this WM model, resulting in a less comprehensive understanding of the relationship between clinical symptoms and pathology. Here, by leveraging the sensitivity of advanced diffusion MRI modelling and metrics to precise white matter microstructural properties, we aim to clarify the relative contributions of WM fibers and GM atrophy to the cognitive symptoms typically found in FTD. A total of 155 participant from the Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Neuroimaging Initiative (FTLDNI) were analysed, including 68 normal elderly controls (CN), 28 behavioral variants (BV), 26 sematic variants (SV) and 30 progressive non fluent aphasia variants (PNFA) of FTD. Diffusion MRI analysis was performed using two complementary techniques: whole brain fixel-based analysis (FBA) and structural connectivity based on probabilistic tractography. Whole brain GM atrophy was assessed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Using a common factor analysis to extract a semantic and an executive factor, we aim to test the relative contribution of WM and GM of specific tracts in predicting cognition. We found that semantic symptoms were mainly dependent on short-range WM fiber disruption, while damage to long-range WM fibers was preferentially associated to executive dysfunction with the GM contribution to cognition being predominant for local processing. Our results support the importance of the disruption of specific WM tracts to the core cognitive symptoms associated with FTD. As large-scale WM tracts, which are particularly vulnerable to vascular disease, were highly associated with executive dysfunction, our findings highlight the importance of controlling for risk factors associated with deep white matter disease, such as vascular risk factors, in patients with FTD in order not to potentiate underlying executive dysfunction.

neuroscience↗