Thalamic nuclei changes in early and late onset Alzheimer's disease

Forno, Gonzalo; Saranathan, Manojkumar; Contador, José Luiz; Guillén, Núria; Falgàs, Neus; Tort‐Merino, Adrià; Balasa, Mircea; Sánchez‐Valle, Raquel; Hornberger, Michael; Lladó, Albert

doi:10.1016/j.crneur.2023.100084

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Postmortem studies also showed that AD-related pathology could be seen in specific thalamic nuclei early in the disease [37,38]. Increasing evidence has confirmed earlier neuropathological findings that the thalamus is a crucial hub in the clinical symptomatology of AD, in which the anterior, laterodorsal, and mediodorsal thalamic nuclei are the meaningful targets [39,40]. Thus, it is important to screen specific thalamic nuclei at an early stage before the development of AD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease in Postmenopausal Women Using Thalamic Subnuclear Volumetry

Kim,

Park,

Jeong

2023

JCM

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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and aging are intrinsically interconnected with each other and are mediated by molecular, cellular, and biological systems. In particular, a specific pattern of brain volume atrophy is the most profound risk factor for cognitive impairment, including AD, that is directly linked to aging. Thus, this study aimed to investigate knowledge on the early detection of AD in postmenopausal women, focusing on the volume changes of the subcortical regions, including the thalamic subnuclei, in women with AD vs. postmenopausal women. Twenty-one women with AD and twenty-one postmenopausal women without AD underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Women with AD showed significantly reduced volumes in the hippocampus, thalamus, and amygdala compared with postmenopausal women (p < 0.05, FWE-corrected). After adjustments for age, the right hippocampal volume was found to be significantly lower in the women with AD, but the volumes of the thalamus and amygdala were relatively unaffected. The women with AD exhibited significantly reduced volume in the right laterodorsal nucleus of the thalamus compared with the postmenopausal women (p < 0.05, Bonferroni-corrected). Our findings suggest that the reduced volume of both the right laterodorsal thalamic nucleus and right hippocampus may serve as a potential biomarker for the early detection of AD in postmenopausal women.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease in Postmenopausal Women Using Thalamic Subnuclear Volumetry

Kim,

Park,

Jeong

2023

JCM

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“…It connects with cortical and subcortical regions and is involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Several studies have reported reduced thalamic volume and impaired cognitive function in AD [ 12 , 50 , 51 ]. Moreover, some recent findings demonstrated that thalamic atrophy precedes the onset of AD and occurs in mild cognitive impairment patients, highlighting the role of thalamic atrophy in the development of AD.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic evidence for the causal relationships between migraine, dementia, and longitudinal brain atrophy

Zhao,

Tang,

et al. 2024

J Headache Pain

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Background Migraine is a neurological disease with a significant genetic component and is characterized by recurrent and prolonged episodes of headache. Previous epidemiological studies have reported a higher risk of dementia in migraine patients. Neuroimaging studies have also shown structural brain atrophy in regions that are common to migraine and dementia. However, these studies are observational and cannot establish causality. The present study aims to explore the genetic causal relationship between migraine and dementia, as well as the mediation roles of brain structural changes in this association using Mendelian randomization (MR). Methods We collected the genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics of migraine and its two subtypes, as well as four common types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and Lewy body dementia. In addition, we collected the GWAS summary statistics of seven longitudinal brain measures that characterize brain structural alterations with age. Using these GWAS, we performed Two-sample MR analyses to investigate the causal effects of migraine and its two subtypes on dementia and brain structural changes. To explore the possible mediation of brain structural changes between migraine and dementia, we conducted a two-step MR mediation analysis. Results The MR analysis demonstrated a significant association between genetically predicted migraine and an increased risk of AD (OR = 1.097, 95% CI = [1.040, 1.158], p = 7.03 × 10− 4). Moreover, migraine significantly accelerated annual atrophy of the total cortical surface area (-65.588 cm2 per year, 95% CI = [-103.112, -28.064], p = 6.13 × 10− 4) and thalamic volume (-9.507 cm3 per year, 95% CI = [-15.512, -3.502], p = 1.91 × 10− 3). The migraine without aura (MO) subtype increased the risk of AD (OR = 1.091, 95% CI = [1.059, 1.123], p = 6.95 × 10− 9) and accelerated annual atrophy of the total cortical surface area (-31.401 cm2 per year, 95% CI = [-43.990, -18.811], p = 1.02 × 10− 6). The two-step MR mediation analysis revealed that thalamic atrophy partly mediated the causal effect of migraine on AD, accounting for 28.2% of the total effect. Discussion This comprehensive MR study provided genetic evidence for the causal effect of migraine on AD and identified longitudinal thalamic atrophy as a potential mediator in this association. These findings may inform brain intervention targets to prevent AD risk in migraine patients.

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“…Several positron emission tomography and structural MRI studies have demonstrated that hypometabolism and atrophy of both the thalamus and connected retrosplenial cortex occurs in early stages of AD. 85 , 86 Along the same line, a recent study performing fMRI and structural imaging in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and healthy controls found structural changes in thalamocortical connections to posterior default mode network (DMN) nodes (ie, posterior cingulate cortex and inferior parietal lobe) in patients with MCI, which correlated with reduced memory performance. 87 The DMN is a large distributed network involved in cognitive functioning, and DMN perturbations have been demonstrated in early stages of AD and have been associated with cognitive decline.…”

Section: The Role Of Thalamus Pathology In Dementiamentioning

confidence: 92%

When the central integrator disintegrates: A review of the role of the thalamus in cognition and dementia

Biesbroek,

Verhagen,

van der Stigchel

et al. 2023

Alzheimer's & Dementia

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The thalamus is a complex neural structure with numerous anatomical subdivisions and intricate connectivity patterns. In recent decades, the traditional view of the thalamus as a relay station and “gateway to the cortex” has expanded in recognition of its role as a central integrator of inputs from sensory systems, cortex, basal ganglia, limbic systems, brain stem nuclei, and cerebellum. As such, the thalamus is critical for numerous aspects of human cognition, mood, and behavior, as well as serving sensory processing and motor functions. Thalamus pathology is an important contributor to cognitive and functional decline, and it might be argued that the thalamus has been somewhat overlooked as an important player in dementia. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of thalamus anatomy and function, with an emphasis on human cognition and behavior, and discuss emerging insights on the role of thalamus pathology in dementia.

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Thalamic nuclei changes in early and late onset Alzheimer's disease

Cited by 13 publications

References 61 publications

Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease in Postmenopausal Women Using Thalamic Subnuclear Volumetry

Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease in Postmenopausal Women Using Thalamic Subnuclear Volumetry

Genetic evidence for the causal relationships between migraine, dementia, and longitudinal brain atrophy

When the central integrator disintegrates: A review of the role of the thalamus in cognition and dementia

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