Characterization of individuals with suspected non-Alzheimer pathophysiology (SNAP) through multimodal biomarkers

• Grant number: 19/23028-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2020
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Marcio Luiz Figueredo Balthazar
• Grantee: Liara Rizzi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/15571-7 - Mapping the progression of subjective cognitive decline to mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer´s disease dementia with multimodal biomarkers, AP.JP2
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/10299-2 - Development of an immunoassay for detection of truncated tau by caspase 6, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Suspected Non-Alzheimer Pathophysiology (SNAP) is a biomarker-based concept whose underlying pathological causes have not yet been understood. It refers to individuals with negative levels of B-amyloid biomarkers, but in whom biomarkers of neurodegeneration and/or p-Tau are positive. SNAP causes great interest in research, as it is unclear whether it should be considered an independent clinical entity, with a different biological basis from Alzheimer's Disease (AD), or if it represents an early stage of AD itself. The exact pathological process that leads to the development of SNAP needs to be clarified. Thus, this research project aims to cross-sectionally evaluate neuropsychological, genetic, and neuroimaging characteristics besides different cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of individuals with Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), sub-classified according to the AT(N) framework into: Suspected Non-Alzheimer Pathophysiology (SNAP group) or individuals with positive amyloid (AD spectrum group), compare them with normal controls* and then longitudinally follow-up the SNAP group for progression or not to AD or other neurodegenerative disease in two years. For this: 1) we will analyze the following cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers: TDP-43, alpha-synuclein, neurogranin, VILIP-1, and neurofilament light chain; 2) we will compare structural and functional MRI; 3) perform neuropsychological tests, and 4) accomplish APOE genotyping. (AU)

Scientific publications

(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)

RIZZI, LIARA; AVENTURATO, ITALO KARMANN; BALTHAZAR, MARCIO L. F.. Neuroimaging Research on Dementia in Brazil in the Last Decade: Scientometric Analysis, Challenges, and Peculiarities. FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY, v. 12, MAR 15 2021. (18/15571-7, 19/23028-4)

RIZZI, LIARA; BALTHAZAR, MARCIO L. F.. Mini-review: The suspected non-Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology. Neuroscience Letters, v. 764, NOV 1 2021. (18/15571-7, 19/23028-4)