IntroductionCurcumin is a polyphenolic compound derived from the plant Curcuma Long Lin that has been demonstrated to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as well as effects on reducing beta-amyloid aggregation. It reduces pathology in transgenic models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is a promising candidate for treating human AD. The purpose of the current study is to generate tolerability and preliminary clinical and biomarker efficacy data on curcumin in persons with AD.MethodsWe performed a 24-week randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study of Curcumin C3 Complex® with an open-label extension to 48 weeks. Thirty-six persons with mild-to-moderate AD were randomized to receive placebo, 2 grams/day, or 4 grams/day of oral curcumin for 24 weeks. For weeks 24 through 48, subjects that were receiving curcumin continued with the same dose, while subjects previously receiving placebo were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to 2 grams/day or 4 grams/day. The primary outcome measures were incidence of adverse events, changes in clinical laboratory tests and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) at 24 weeks in those completing the study. Secondary outcome measures included the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study - Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL) scale, levels of Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 in plasma and levels of Aβ1-42, t-tau, p-tau181 and F2-isoprostanes in cerebrospinal fluid. Plasma levels of curcumin and its metabolites up to four hours after drug administration were also measured.ResultsMean age of completers (n = 30) was 73.5 years and mean Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) score was 22.5. One subject withdrew in the placebo (8%, worsened memory) and 5/24 subjects withdrew in the curcumin group (21%, 3 due to gastrointestinal symptoms). Curcumin C3 Complex® was associated with lowered hematocrit and increased glucose levels that were clinically insignificant. There were no differences between treatment groups in clinical or biomarker efficacy measures. The levels of native curcumin measured in plasma were low (7.32 ng/mL).ConclusionsCurcumin was generally well-tolerated although three subjects on curcumin withdrew due to gastrointestinal symptoms. We were unable to demonstrate clinical or biochemical evidence of efficacy of Curcumin C3 Complex® in AD in this 24-week placebo-controlled trial although preliminary data suggest limited bioavailability of this compound.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00099710.

Background: Neuropsychiatric disturbances are common in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Depression and apathy may identify a subset of MCI subjects at higher risk of progression to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, it remains uncertain whether a broader spectrum of psychopathology is associated with progression to AD. Methods: Fifty-one MCI subjects were assessed for neuropsychiatric symptoms using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Subjects were followed for an average of 2 years. Twelve subjects (23.5%) progressed from MCI to possible/probable AD and 39 subjects (76.5%) remained stable or improved. Baseline Neuropsychiatric Inventory indices were compared between groups. Results: Subjects progressing to AD had a significantly higher prevalence of psychopathology than subjects who remained stable or improved (100 vs. 59%). Depression (67 vs. 31%) and apathy (50 vs. 18%) were more common in subjects who were later diagnosed with AD. After statistical adjustments for other baseline demographic variables, these specific symptoms were less robust predictors of progression to AD than the presence of any psychopathology. Conclusions: These findings suggest that neuropsychiatric symptoms in MCI are a predictor of progression to AD. Depression and apathy appear to be most useful for identifying MCI subjects at highest risk of developing dementia.

Background: Various types of Tau aggregates in AD brains may differentially impact neurodegeneration. Results: Curcumin selectively suppresses soluble Tau dimers and corrects molecular chaperone, synaptic, and behavioral deficits. Conclusion: A drug increasing HSPs involved in Tau clearance reduced Tau dimers and improved cognition. Significance: Curcumin that reduced Tau dimers and increased molecular chaperones was efficacious without altering insoluble Tau.

Current criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) require “essentially intact” performance of activities of daily living (ADLs), which has proven difficult to operationalize. We sought to determine how well the Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ), a standardized assessment of instrumental ADLs, delineates the clinical distinction between MCI and very mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We identified 1801 subjects in the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set with MCI (n=1108) or very mild AD (n=693) assessed with the FAQ and randomized them to the development or test sets. Receiver-operator curve (ROC) analysis of the development set identified optimal cut-points that maximized the sensitivity and specificity of FAQ measures for differentiating AD from MCI and were validated with the test set. ROC analysis of total FAQ scores in the development set produced an area under the curve of 0.903 and an optimal cut-point of 5/6, which yielded 80.3% sensitivity, 87.0% specificity, and 84.7% classification accuracy in the test set. Bill paying, tracking current events, and transportation (p’s<0.005) were the FAQ items of greatest diagnostic utility. These data suggest that the FAQ exhibits adequate sensitivity and specificity when used as a standardized assessment of instrumental ADLs in the diagnosis of AD versus MCI.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of amyloid positivity, defined by positron emission tomography (PET)/cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers and/or neuropathological examination, in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) variants. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis with individual participant data from 1,251 patients diagnosed with PPA (including logopenic [lvPPA, n = 443], nonfluent [nfvPPA, n = 333], semantic [svPPA, n = 401], and mixed/unclassifiable [n = 74] variants of PPA) from 36 centers, with a measure of amyloid-β pathology (CSF [n = 600], PET [n = 366], and/or autopsy [n = 378]) available. The estimated prevalence of amyloid positivity according to PPA variant, age, and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 status was determined using generalized estimating equation models. Results: Amyloid-β positivity was more prevalent in lvPPA (86%) than in nfvPPA (20%) or svPPA (16%; p < 0.001). Prevalence of amyloid-β positivity increased with age in nfvPPA (from 10% at age 50 years to 27% at age 80 years, p < 0.01) and svPPA (from 6% at age 50 years to 32% at age 80 years, p < 0.001), but not in lvPPA (p = 0.94). Across PPA variants, ApoE ε4 carriers were more often amyloid-β positive (58.0%) than noncarriers (35.0%, p < 0.001). Autopsy data revealed Alzheimer disease pathology as the most common pathologic diagnosis in lvPPA (76%), frontotemporal lobar degeneration–TDP-43 in svPPA (80%), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration–TDP-43/tau in nfvPPA (64%). Interpretation: This study shows that the current PPA classification system helps to predict underlying pathology across different cohorts and clinical settings, and suggests that age and ApoE genotype should be considered when interpreting amyloid-β biomarkers in PPA patients.

Background Depression has been associated with higher conversion rates from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and may be a potential clinical marker of prodromal AD that can be used to identify individuals with MCI who are most likely to progress to AD. Using tensor-based morphometry (TBM), we examined the longitudinal neuroanatomical changes associated with depressive symptoms in MCI. Methods 243 MCI subjects from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) who had brain MRI scans at baseline and 2-year follow-up were classified into depressed (DEP, n=44), non-depressed with other neuropsychiatric symptoms (OTHER, n=93), and no-symptom (NOSYMP, n=106) groups based on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q). TBM was used to create individual 3D-maps of 2-year brain changes that were compared between groups. Results DEP subjects had more frontal (p=0.024), parietal (p=0.030), and temporal (p=0.038) white matter atrophy than NOSYMP subjects. A subset of DEP subjects whose depressive symptoms persisted over 2-years also had higher conversion to AD and more decline on measures of global cognition, language abilities, and executive functioning compared to stable NOSYMP subjects. OTHER and NOSYMP groups exhibited no differences in rates of atrophy. Conclusions Depressive symptoms in MCI subjects were associated with greater atrophy in AD-affected regions, increased cognitive decline, and higher rates of conversion to AD. Depression in individuals with MCI may be associated with underlying neuropathological changes including prodromal AD. Thus, assessment of depressive symptoms may be a potentially useful clinical marker in identifying MCI patients who are most likely to progress to AD.

Objectives To determine whether quality of life (QOL) ratings are reduced in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and analyze correlations between QOL ratings and cognitive, neuropsychiatric and functional indices in MCI. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research at UCLA. Participants 205 individuals who met criteria for normal cognition (NC; n=97) or MCI (n=108). The MCI group included amnestic (AMN; n=72) and non-amnestic (NON; n=36) MCI. Measurements QOL was assessed using subject and informant ratings on the Quality of Life-Alzheimer’s Disease (QOL-AD) scale. Cognitive performance was assessed with the National Alzheimer’s Disease Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set neuropsychological battery. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Functional abilities were assessed with the Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ). Results The NC group had significantly higher QOL-AD scores than the MCI group on both subject and informant assessments. Individual item analyses indicated that the largest group differences were seen on the mood and memory items. Similar QOL-AD scores were seen in the AMN and NON MCI subgroups. Multiple regression analyses within the MCI group indicated that QOL-AD ratings were not correlated with neuropsychological performance. Subject QOL-AD ratings were inversely correlated with GDS scores and informant QOL-AD ratings were inversely correlated with GDS, NPI, and FAQ scores. Conclusions Significant declines in QOL are seen in MCI and are associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms and functional decline. Interventions targeting mood symptoms and/or instrumental activities of daily living may improve QOL in MCI.

Objective: To characterize the presenting symptoms and signs of patients clinically diagnosed with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and who had different neuropathologic findings on autopsy.Methods: This study reviewed all patients entered as clinical bvFTD in the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center's database and who had both clinical and neuropathologic data from 2005 to 2011. Among the 107 patients identified, 95 had unambiguous pathologic findings, including 74 with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (bvFTD-FTLD) and 21 with Alzheimer disease (bvFTD-AD). The patients with bvFTD-FTLD were further subdivided into t-positive (n 5 23) or t-negative (n 5 51) histopathology subgroups. Presenting clinical signs and symptoms were compared between these neuropathologic groups. Results:The patients with bvFTD-FTLD were significantly more likely than patients with bvFTD-AD to have initially predominant personality changes and poor judgment/decision-making. In contrast, patients with bvFTD-AD were more likely than patients with bvFTD-FTLD to have memory difficulty and delusions/hallucinations and agitation. Within the bvFTD-FTLD group, the t-positive subgroup had more patients with initial behavioral problems and personality change than the t-negative subgroup, who, in turn, had more patients with initial cognitive impairment and speech problems. Conclusion:During life, patients with AD pathology may be misdiagnosed with bvFTD if they have an early age at onset and prominent neuropsychiatric features despite having greater memory difficulties and more intact personality and executive functions than patients with bvFTD-FTLD. Among those with FTLD pathology, patients with t-positive bvFTD were likely to present with behavior/personality changes. These findings offer clues for antemortem recognition of neuropathologic subtypes of bvFTD. Neurology Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a common dementia among those with an age at onset of 65 years or younger.1 Only patients meeting clinical criteria for Alzheimer disease (AD) are more common than bvFTD among those with early-onset neurodegenerative dementias. bvFTD is associated with disinhibition, apathy, loss of empathy, compulsive or stereotypical behavior, dietary changes, and a dysexecutive neuropsychological profile. 2,3 There is no definitive antemortem test for bvFTD, and diagnosis depends on clinical criteria which have been validated by clinicopathologic correlation.2,4,5 Clinical criteria, however, are not infallible, and some patients diagnosed with bvFTD can still have AD or another disorder on autopsy. 6 This investigation examined whether different underlying neuropathologic findings in clinically diagnosed bvFTD were associated with different presenting signs and symptoms. We analyzed From the