The use of neurobiological signatures for the determination of elderly subject to Alzheimer’s disease

• Grant number: 12/13065-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: January 01, 2013
• End date: April 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Cognitive Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Geraldo Busatto Filho
• Grantee: Patricia Rzezak Tencer
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Although several study groups investigated Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in the last decades, it is still difficult to be certain of this clinical diagnosis and there is a lack of efficient drug treatment. The populational growth of elderly people with AD and their high cost to the Health System have boosted research in attempt to find neurobiological signatures that would help early identification of AD candidates. Thus, the main aim of this study is to investigate if neuropsychological measures, analysed with a multivariate analysis of pattern recognition, can help the diagnosis and the early identification of people with preclinical or prodromic presentations of AD, as well as, to determine the relative value in the discrimination of this patients of innovative neuroimaging techniques, APOE genotype and data of cognitive reserve. For that matter, 180 participants will be evaluated, ages between 60 and 90 years-old, divided in three groups according to their clinical diagnose: 60 patients with AD, 60 patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment, and 60 healthy individuals. Participants will be submitted to extensive neuropsychological evaluation, neuroimaging exams (voxel based morphometry, diffusion tensor imaging and positron emission tomography), genotyping for the determination of polymorphisms that codified the APOE (isoforms frequency of APOE-µ2, APOE-µ3 e APOE-µ4) and evaluation of cognitive reserve indexes. These information will be used in the construction of automatized classifiers, a tool with a high clinical potential because of its usefulness for prediction of outcomes in the individual level. With this data we intend to investigate the influence of neuropsychological aspects and of the cognitive reserve in the diagnostic accuracy of AD, used alone or in addition to the other biomarkers. (AU)

Scientific publications

(6)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

RZEZAK, PATRICIA; GUIMARAES, CATARINA A.; GUERREIRO, MARILISA M.; VALENTE, KETTE D.. The impact of intelligence on memory and executive functions of children with temporal lobe epilepsy: Methodological concerns with clinical relevance. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC NEUROLOGY, v. 21, n. 3, p. 500-506, MAY 2017. (12/13065-0, 13/11361-4, 12/09025-3)

RZEZAK, PATRICIA; CAXA, LUCIANA; SANTOLIA, PATRICIA; ANTUNES, HANNA K. M.; SURIANO, ITALO; TUFIK, SERGIO; DE MELLO, MARCO T.. Affective responses after different intensities of exercise in patients with traumatic brain injury. FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, v. 6, JUN 25 2015. (12/13065-0, 98/14303-3)

RZEZAK, PATRICIA; LIMA, ELLEN MARISE; PEREIRA, FABRICIO; GARGARO, ANA CAROLINA; COIMBRA, ERICA; DE VINCENTIIS, SILVIA; VELASCO, TONICARLO RODRIGUES; LEITE, JOAO PEREIRA; BUSATTO, GERALDO F.; VALENTE, KETTE D.. Decision-making in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy: Delay gratification ability is not impaired in patients with hippocampal sclerosis. Epilepsy & Behavior, v. 60, p. 158-164, JUL 2016. (12/13065-0, 12/50329-6, 13/11361-4, 12/09025-3)

VALENTE, KETTE D.; RZEZAK, PATRICIA; LAFRANCE, JR., W. CURT. Standard medical care for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures in Brazil. Epilepsy & Behavior, v. 45, p. 128-135, APR 2015. (05/56464-9, 07/52110-3, 12/09025-3, 12/13065-0, 13/11361-4)

RZEZAK, PATRICIA; LIMA, ELLEN MARISE; GARGARO, ANA CAROLINA; COIMBRA, ERICA; DE VINCENTIIS, SILVIA; VELASCO, TONICARLO RODRIGUES; LEITE, JOAO PEREIRA; BUSATTO, GERALDO F.; VALENTE, KETTE D.. Everyday memory impairment in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy caused by hippocampal sclerosis. Epilepsy & Behavior, v. 69, p. 31-36, APR 2017. (12/13065-0, 12/50329-6, 13/11361-4, 12/09025-3)

RZEZAK, PATRICIA; SQUARZONI, PAULA; DURAN, FABIO L.; FERRAZ ALVES, TANIA DE TOLEDO; TAMASHIRO-DURAN, JAQUELINE; BOTTINO, CASSIO M.; RIBEIZ, SALMA; LOTUFO, PAULO A.; MENEZES, PAULO R.; SCAZUFCA, MARCIA; et al. Relationship between Brain Age-Related Reduction in Gray Matter and Educational Attainment. PLoS One, v. 10, n. 10, OCT 16 2015. (12/13065-0, 12/50329-6, 13/03231-3)