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IMPORTANCE Previous studies have evaluated the diagnostic effect of amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) in selected research cohorts. However, these research populations do not reflect daily practice, thus hampering clinical implementation of amyloid imaging. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of amyloid PET with changes in diagnosis, diagnostic confidence, treatment, and patients' experiences in an unselected memory clinic cohort. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Amyloid PET using fluoride-18 florbetaben was offered to 866 patients who visited the tertiary memory clinic at the VU University Medical Center between January 2015 and December 2016 as part of their routine diagnostic dementia workup. Of these patients, 476 (55%) were included, 32 (4%) were excluded, and 358 (41%) did not participate. To enrich this sample, 31 patients with mild cognitive impairment from the University Medical Center Utrecht memory clinic were included. For each patient, neurologists determined a preamyloid and postamyloid PET diagnosis that existed of both a clinical syndrome (dementia, mild cognitive impairment, or subjective cognitive decline) and a suspected etiology (Alzheimer disease [AD] or non-AD), with a confidence level ranging from 0% to 100%. In addition, the neurologist determined patient treatment in terms of ancillary investigations, medication, and care. Each patient received a clinical follow-up 1 year after being scanned. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Primary outcome measures were post-PET changes in diagnosis, diagnostic confidence, and patient treatment. RESULTS Of the 507 patients (mean [SD] age, 65 (8) years; 201 women [39%]; mean [SD] Mini-Mental State Examination score, 25 [4]), 164 (32%) had AD dementia, 70 (14%) non-AD dementia, 114 (23%) mild cognitive impairment, and 159 (31%) subjective cognitive decline. Amyloid PET results were positive for 242 patients (48%). The suspected etiology changed for 125 patients (25%) after undergoing amyloid PET, more often due to a negative (82 of 265 [31%]) than a positive (43 of 242 [18%]) PET result (P < .01). Post-PET changes in suspected etiology occurred more frequently in patients older (>65 years) than younger (<65 years) than the typical age at onset of 65 years (74 of 257 [29%] vs 51 of 250 [20%]; P < .05). Mean diagnostic confidence (SD) increased from 80 (13) to 89 (13%) (P < .001). In 123 patients (24%), there was a change in patient treatment post-PET, mostly related to additional investigations and therapy. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This prospective diagnostic study provides a bridge between validating amyloid PET in a research setting and implementing this diagnostic tool in daily clinical practice. Both amyloid-positive and amyloid-negative results had substantial associations with changes in diagnosis and treatment, both in patients with and without dementia.

ObjectiveTo apply the ATN scheme to memory clinic patients, to assess whether it discriminates patient populations with specific features.MethodsWe included 305 memory clinic patients (33% subjective cognitive decline [SCD]: 60 ± 9 years, 61% M; 19% mild cognitive impairment [MCI]: 68 ± 9 years, 68% M; 48% dementia: 66 ± 10 years, 58% M) classified for positivity (±) of amyloid (A) ([18F]Florbetaben PET), tau (T) (CSF p-tau), and neurodegeneration (N) (medial temporal lobe atrophy). We assessed ATN profiles' demographic, clinical, and cognitive features at baseline, and cognitive decline over time.ResultsThe proportion of A+T+N+ patients increased with syndrome severity (from 1% in SCD to 14% in MCI and 35% in dementia), while the opposite was true for A−T−N− (from 48% to 19% and 6%). Compared to A−T−N−, patients with the Alzheimer disease profiles (A+T+N− and A+T+N+) were older (both p < 0.05) and had a higher prevalence of APOE ε4 (both p < 0.05) and lower Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (both p < 0.05), memory (both p < 0.05), and visuospatial abilities (both p < 0.05) at baseline. Non-Alzheimer profiles A−T−N+ and A-T+N+ showed more severe white matter hyperintensities (both p < 0.05) and worse language performance (both p < 0.05) than A−T−N−. A linear mixed model showed faster decline on MMSE over time in A+T+N− and A+T+N+ (p = 0.059 and p < 0.001 vs A−T−N−), attributable mainly to patients without dementia.ConclusionsThe ATN scheme identified different biomarker profiles with overlapping baseline features and patterns of cognitive decline. The large number of profiles, which may have different implications in patients with vs without dementia, poses a challenge to the application of the ATN scheme.

Introduction The retina is a potential source of noninvasive vascular biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We assessed retinal microvasculature in well-characterized AD cases, taking ophthalmological confounders into account. Methods We included 48 amyloid-positive AD patients and 38 amyloid-negative cognitively normal control subjects. All participants underwent ophthalmological screening to exclude interfering ocular disease. Using a multimodal approach, we measured retinal vascular parameters, choroidal thickness, macular vascular density, and foveal avascular zone size. Results We found no disease effects on retinal vascular measures (all β′s < |0.15|, all P > .2), adjusted for confounders. Venular tortuosity was inversely associated with Fazekas score in control subjects (β −0.56, P < .01), while vessel density in the outer ring of the macula was inversely associated with Fazekas score in AD cases (β −0.64, P < .01). Discussion In conclusion, retinal vasculature did not discriminate patients with AD from control subjects, despite evident changes on clinical, neuroimaging, and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, challenging the use of retinal vasculature measurements as AD biomarker.

BackgroundP-glycoprotein is a blood–brain barrier efflux transporter involved in the clearance of amyloid-beta from the brain and, as such, might be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. P-glycoprotein is encoded by the highly polymorphic ABCB1 gene. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the ABCB1 gene have been associated with altered P-glycoprotein expression and function. P-glycoprotein function at the blood–brain barrier can be quantified in vivo using the P-glycoprotein substrate tracer (R)-[11C]verapamil and positron emission tomography (PET). The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of C1236T, G2677T/A and C3435T single-nucleotide polymorphisms in ABCB1 on blood–brain barrier P-glycoprotein function in healthy subjects and patients with Alzheimer's disease.MethodsThirty-two healthy subjects and seventeen patients with Alzheimer's disease underwent 60-min dynamic (R)-[11C]verapamil PET scans. The binding potential of (R)-[11C]verapamil was assessed using a previously validated constrained two-tissue plasma input compartment model and used as outcome measure. DNA was isolated from frozen blood samples and C1236T, G2677T/A and C3435T single-nucleotide polymorphisms were amplified by polymerase chain reaction.ResultsIn healthy controls, binding potential did not differ between subjects without and with one or more T present in C1236T, G2677T and C3435T. In contrast, patients with Alzheimer's disease with one or more T in C1236T, G2677T and C3435T had significantly higher binding potential values than patients without a T. In addition, there was a relationship between binding potential and T dose in C1236T and G2677T.ConclusionsIn Alzheimer's disease patients, C1236T, G2677T/A and C3435T single-nucleotide polymorphisms may be related to changes in P-glycoprotein function at the blood–brain barrier. As such, genetic variations in ABCB1 might contribute to the progression of amyloid-beta deposition in the brain.

BackgroundP-glycoprotein [Pgp] dysfunction may be involved in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, and in drug resistant epilepsy. Positron emission tomography using the Pgp substrate tracer (R)-[11C]verapamil enables in vivo quantification of Pgp function at the human blood-brain barrier. Knowledge of test-retest variability is important for assessing changes over time or after treatment with disease-modifying drugs. The purpose of this study was to assess reproducibility of several tracer kinetic models used for analysis of (R)-[11C]verapamil data.MethodsDynamic (R)-[11C]verapamil scans with arterial sampling were performed twice on the same day in 13 healthy controls. Data were reconstructed using both filtered back projection [FBP] and partial volume corrected ordered subset expectation maximization [PVC OSEM]. All data were analysed using single-tissue and two-tissue compartment models. Global and regional test-retest variability was determined for various outcome measures.ResultsAnalysis using the Akaike information criterion showed that a constrained two-tissue compartment model provided the best fits to the data. Global test-retest variability of the volume of distribution was comparable for single-tissue (6%) and constrained two-tissue (9%) compartment models. Using a single-tissue compartment model covering the first 10 min of data yielded acceptable global test-retest variability (9%) for the outcome measure K1. Test-retest variability of binding potential derived from the constrained two-tissue compartment model was less robust, but still acceptable (22%). Test-retest variability was comparable for PVC OSEM and FBP reconstructed data.ConclusionThe model of choice for analysing (R)-[11C]verapamil data is a constrained two-tissue compartment model.

The possibility to map amyloid-beta, the Alzheimer’s disease hallmark protein, in vivo opens the application for amyloid imaging in clinical trials with disease-modifying agents. Monitoring change in amyloid burden, particularly when potential amyloid-lowering drugs are at play, requires accurate analytical methods. Studies to date have used suboptimal methods that do not account for heterogeneous changes in flow associated with disease progression and potentially with anti-amyloid drugs. In this commentary, we discuss practical and methodological issues regarding longitudinal amyloid imaging and propose several quantitative, yet feasible, alternatives for reliable assessment of changes over time in amyloid burden.

Introduction Retinal thickness measured with optical coherence tomography has been proposed as a noninvasive biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We therefore measured retinal thickness in well-characterized AD and control participants, considering ophthalmological confounders. Methods We included 57 amyloid-proven AD cases and 85 cognitively normal, amyloid-negative controls. All subjects underwent retinal thickness measurements with spectral domain optical coherence tomography and an ophthalmological assessment to exclude ocular disease. Results Retinal thickness did not discriminate cases from controls, including stratified analyses for early- versus late-onset AD. We found significant associations between macular thickness and global cortical atrophy [β −0.358; P = .01] and parietal cortical atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging [β −0.371; P < .01] in AD cases. Discussion In this study, representing the largest optical coherence tomography cohort with amyloid-proven AD cases, we show that retinal thickness does not discriminate AD from controls, despite evident changes on clinical, neuroimaging, and CSF measures, querying the use of retinal thickness measurements as an AD biomarker.