Synaptic Density and Cognitive Performance in Alzheimer's Disease: A PET Imaging Study with [ C]UCB-J

Overview

Journal Alzheimers Dement

Specialties Neurology
Psychiatry

Date 2022 Feb 17

PMID 35174954

Authors

Adam P Mecca

Ryan S ODell

Emily S Sharp

Emmie R Banks

Hugh H Bartlett

Wenzhen Zhao

Sylwia Lipior

Nina G Diepenbrock

Ming-Kai Chen

Mika Naganawa

Takuya Toyonaga

Nabeel B Nabulsi

Brent C Vander Wyk

Amy F T Arnsten

Yiyun Huang

Richard E Carson

Christopher H van Dyck

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: For 30 years synapse loss has been referred to as the major pathological correlate of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, this statement is based on remarkably few patients studied by autopsy or biopsy. With the recent advent of synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, we have begun to evaluate the consequences of synaptic alterations in vivo.

Methods: We examined the relationship between synaptic density measured by [ C]UCB-J PET and neuropsychological test performance in 45 participants with early AD.

Results: Global synaptic density showed a significant positive association with global cognition and performance on five individual cognitive domains in participants with early AD. Synaptic density was a stronger predictor of cognitive performance than gray matter volume.

Conclusion: These results confirm neuropathologic studies demonstrating a significant association between synaptic density and cognitive performance, and suggest that this correlation extends to the early stages of AD.

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