Cognitive decline in neurodegenerative diseases: associations with neuroimaging biomarkers

• Grant number: 24/10541-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Radiology
• Principal Investigator: Daniele de Paula Faria
• Grantee: Kenia Repiso Campanholo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by their progressive nature. Among them, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly and multiple sclerosis (MS) is the leading cause of non-traumatic functional disability in young adults. Deposition of amyloid-² plaques and myelin dysfunction are, respectively, common changes in these two diseases and are often associated with cognitive impairment. However, little is known about their association with cognitive decline in long-term follow-up. The use of [11C]PIB PET for amyloid-² deposition imaging is well established, and the use of this tool as a measure of myelin integrity has already been demonstrated in preliminary studies by our group, in the same way that loss of cortical thickness and brain volume is associated with neurodegeneration. Aiming to establish a predictive relationship of neuroimaging values with cognitive decline in a long-term follow-up (10 years), we are proposing a new neuropsychological and clinical assessment of a sample of healthy controls and people within the continuum of biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease, as well as people with MS. Disease progression across the spectrum of both neurodegenerative diseases will be assessed. Participants have a MRI scan, [11C]PIB PET scanned neuropsychological assessment at baseline and a 20 months neuropsychological assessment follow-up. This proposal includes a third phase of clinical and cognitive data collection, in which the images acquired during inclusion will be used as predictors of cognitive impairment and decline, as well as prognostic measures of the progression of both neurodegenerative diseases. This study therefore has translational potential for clinical practice, helping to understand and plan the evolution of these diseases.