The aim of our study was to establish empirically to what extent reduced glucose uptake in the precuneus, posterior cingulate and/or temporo-parietal cortex (PCTP), which is thought to indicate brain amyloidosis in patients with dementia or MCI due to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), permits to distinguish amyloid-positive from amyloid-negative patients with non-classical AD phenotypes at the single-case level. We enrolled 127 neurodegenerative patients with cognitive impairment and a positive (n. 63) or negative (n. 64) amyloid marker (cerebrospinal fluid or amy-PET). Three rating methods of FDG-PET scan were applied: purely qualitative visual interpretation of uptake images (VIUI), and visual reading assisted by a semi-automated and semi-quantitative tool: INLAB, provided by the Italian National Research Council, or Cortex ID Suite, marketed by GE Healthcare. Fourteen scans (11.0%) patients remained unclassified by VIUI or INLAB procedures, therefore, validity values were computed on the remaining 113 cases. The three rating approaches showed good total accuracy (77–78%), good to optimal sensitivity (81–93%), but poorer specificity (62–75%). VIUI showed the highest sensitivity and the lowest specificity, and also the highest proportion of unclassified cases. Cases with asymmetric temporo-parietal hypometabolism and a progressive aphasia or corticobasal clinical profile, in particular, tended to be rated as AD-like, even if biomarkers indicated non-amyloid pathology. Our findings provide formal support to the value of PCTP hypometabolism for single-level diagnosis of amyloid pathophysiology in atypical AD, but also highlight the risk of qualitative assessment to misclassify patients with non-AD PPA or CBS underpinned by asymmetric temporo-parietal hypometabolism.

Isella, V., Crivellaro, C., Formenti, A., Musarra, M., Pacella, S., Morzenti, S., et al. (2022). Validity of cingulate–precuneus–temporo-parietal hypometabolism for single-subject diagnosis of biomarker-proven atypical variants of Alzheimer’s Disease. JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, 269(8), 4440-4451 [10.1007/s00415-022-11086-y].

Validity of cingulate–precuneus–temporo-parietal hypometabolism for single-subject diagnosis of biomarker-proven atypical variants of Alzheimer’s Disease

Isella V.
;
Crivellaro C.;Formenti A.;Pacella S.;Morzenti S.;Ferri F.;Mapelli C.;Guerra L.;Appollonio I.;Ferrarese C.
2022

Abstract

The aim of our study was to establish empirically to what extent reduced glucose uptake in the precuneus, posterior cingulate and/or temporo-parietal cortex (PCTP), which is thought to indicate brain amyloidosis in patients with dementia or MCI due to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), permits to distinguish amyloid-positive from amyloid-negative patients with non-classical AD phenotypes at the single-case level. We enrolled 127 neurodegenerative patients with cognitive impairment and a positive (n. 63) or negative (n. 64) amyloid marker (cerebrospinal fluid or amy-PET). Three rating methods of FDG-PET scan were applied: purely qualitative visual interpretation of uptake images (VIUI), and visual reading assisted by a semi-automated and semi-quantitative tool: INLAB, provided by the Italian National Research Council, or Cortex ID Suite, marketed by GE Healthcare. Fourteen scans (11.0%) patients remained unclassified by VIUI or INLAB procedures, therefore, validity values were computed on the remaining 113 cases. The three rating approaches showed good total accuracy (77–78%), good to optimal sensitivity (81–93%), but poorer specificity (62–75%). VIUI showed the highest sensitivity and the lowest specificity, and also the highest proportion of unclassified cases. Cases with asymmetric temporo-parietal hypometabolism and a progressive aphasia or corticobasal clinical profile, in particular, tended to be rated as AD-like, even if biomarkers indicated non-amyloid pathology. Our findings provide formal support to the value of PCTP hypometabolism for single-level diagnosis of amyloid pathophysiology in atypical AD, but also highlight the risk of qualitative assessment to misclassify patients with non-AD PPA or CBS underpinned by asymmetric temporo-parietal hypometabolism.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Alzheimer’s Disease; Biomarkers; Brain metabolism; Dementia; FDG-PET;
English
26-mar-2022
2022
269
8
4440
4451
open
Isella, V., Crivellaro, C., Formenti, A., Musarra, M., Pacella, S., Morzenti, S., et al. (2022). Validity of cingulate–precuneus–temporo-parietal hypometabolism for single-subject diagnosis of biomarker-proven atypical variants of Alzheimer’s Disease. JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, 269(8), 4440-4451 [10.1007/s00415-022-11086-y].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/367193
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