Journal of Alzheimer's Disease - Volume 59, issue 2

Authors: Cacciamani, Federica | Tandetnik, Caroline | Gagliardi, Geoffroy | Bertin, Hugo | Habert, Marie-Odile | Hampel, Harald | Boukadida, Laurie | Révillon, Marie | Epelbaum, Stéphane | Dubois, Bruno | INSIGHT-PreAD study group

Collaborators: Audrain, C | Auffret, A | Bakardjian, H | Baldacci, F | Batrancourt, B | Benakki, I | Benali, H | Bertin, H | Bertrand, A | Boukadida, L | Cacciamani, F | Causse, V | Cavedo, E | Cherif Touil, S | Chiesa, P A | Colliot, O | Dalla Barba, G | Depaulis, M | Dos Santos, A | Dubois, B | Dubois, M | Epelbaum, S | Fontaine, B | Francisque, H | Gagliardi, G | Genin, A | Genthon, R | Glasman, P | Gombert, F | Habert, M O | Hampel, H | Hewa, H | Houot, M | Jungalee, N | Kas, A | Kilani, M | La Corte, V | Le Roy, F | Lehericy, S | Letondor, C | Levy, M | Lista, S | Lowrey, M | Ly, J | Makiese, O | Masetti, I | Mendes, A | Metzinger, C | Michon, A | Mochel, F | Nait Arab, R | Nyasse, F | Perrin, C | Poirier, F | Poisson, C | Potier, M C | Ratovohery, S | Revillon, M | Rojkova, K | Santos-Andrade, K | Schindler, R | Servera, M C | Seux, L | Simon, V | Skovronsky, D | Thiebaut, M | Uspenskaya, O | Vlaincu, M

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may result from many conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objective: In this study, we searched for a specific pattern of SCD in asymptomatic individuals at risk for AD. Methods: Cognitively normal older adults (N  = 318) reporting SCD and their informants were enrolled in the INSIGHT-PreAD cohort. We examined the relationship between six SCD measures and both cognitive scores and AD neuroimaging markers (amyloid burden, hippocampal atrophy and brain hypometabolism). An awareness of cognitive decline index (ACDI) has been introduced based on the subject-informant discrepancy in a questionnaire of SCD and participants …with low versus high awareness were compared. Results: Scores in the INSIGHT-PreAD SCD questionnaires did not correlate with AD neuroimaging markers. As well, no correlation has been found between SCD measures and cognitive scores. Comparing subjects with a low (n  = 19) and high (n  = 86) level of awareness, no significant difference in terms of demography, neuropsychiatric symptoms, autonomy, quality of life, cognition, and hippocampal volume was found. However, the “low awareness” group showed greater amyloid burden and lower cortical metabolism, compared to the “high awareness” group. Conclusion: This study provided additional evidence that reporting SCD by itself is not a specific symptom of preclinical AD. Conversely, a low cognitive awareness (namely, when subjects report fewer difficulties than their relatives do) may represent a very early form of anosognosia and serve as a specific indicator of preclinical AD. This finding is of key importance as an enrichment factor to consider in both clinical practice and research trials. Show more

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, awareness, biomarkers, cognitive complaints, subjective cognitive decline

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-170399

Citation: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 753-762, 2017

Authors: Serrano-Pozo, Alberto | Aldridge, Georgina M. | Zhang, Qiang

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Background: Bibliometric and scientometric methods can be applied to the study of a research field. Objective: We hypothesized that a bibliometric and scientometric analysis of the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research field could render trends that provide researchers and funding agencies valuable insight into the history of the field, current tendencies, and potential future directions. Methods: We performed searches in publicly available databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Alzheimer’s Funding Analyzer for the period 1975–2014, and conducted a curve fitting analysis with non-linear regression. Results: While the rate and impact of publications continue …to increase, the number of patents per year is currently declining after peaking in the late 2000s, and the funding budget has plateaued in the last 5–10 years analyzed. Genetics is the area growing at a fastest pace, whereas pathophysiology and therapy have not grown further in the last decade. Among the targets of pathophysiology research, amyloid-β continues to be the focus of greatest interest, with tau and apolipoprotein E stagnant after a surge in the 1990s. The role of inflammation, microglia, and the synapse are other research topics with growing interest. Regarding preventative strategies, education attainment, diet, and exercise are recently gaining some momentum, whereas NSAIDs and statins have lost the spotlight they once had. Conclusion: Our bibliometric and scientometric analysis provides distinct trends in AD research in the last four decades, including publication and patent output, funding, impact, and topics. Our findings could inform the decision-making of research funding agencies in the near future. Show more

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid-β peptides, bibliometrics, h-index, neurofibrillary tangle, scientometrics, tau proteins

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-170184

Citation: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 763-783, 2017