Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring (Jan 2020)

Patterns of glucose hypometabolism in Down syndrome resemble sporadic Alzheimer's disease except for the putamen

  • Matthew D. Zammit,
  • Charles M. Laymon,
  • Dana L. Tudorascu,
  • Sigan L. Hartley,
  • Brianna Piro‐Gambetti,
  • Sterling C. Johnson,
  • Charles K. Stone,
  • Chester A. Mathis,
  • Shahid H. Zaman,
  • William E. Klunk,
  • Benjamin L. Handen,
  • Ann D. Cohen,
  • Bradley T. Christian

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12138
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. n/a – n/a

Abstract

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Abstract Introduction Adults with Down syndrome (DS) are predisposed to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the relationship between cognition and glucose metabolism in this population has yet to be evaluated. Methods Adults with DS (N = 90; mean age [standard deviation] = 38.0 [8.30] years) underwent [C‐11]Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) and [F‐18]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography scans. Associations among amyloid beta (Aβ), FDG, and measures of cognition were explored. Interregional FDG metabolic connectivity was assessed to compare cognitively stable DS and mild cognitive impairment/AD (MCI‐DS/AD). Results Negative associations between Aβ and FDG were evident in regions affected in sporadic AD. A positive association was observed in the putamen, which is the brain region showing the earliest increases in Aβ deposition. Both Aβ and FDG were associated with measures of cognition, and metabolic connectivity distinguished cases of MCI‐DS/AD from cognitively stable DS. Discussion Associations among Aβ, FDG, and cognition reveal that neurodegeneration in DS resembles sporadic AD with the exception of the putamen, highlighting the usefulness of FDG in monitoring neurodegeneration in DS.

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