NeuroImage: Clinical (Jan 2021)

Differential early subcortical involvement in genetic FTD within the GENFI cohort

  • Martina Bocchetta,
  • Emily G. Todd,
  • Georgia Peakman,
  • David M. Cash,
  • Rhian S. Convery,
  • Lucy L. Russell,
  • David L. Thomas,
  • Juan Eugenio Iglesias,
  • John C. van Swieten,
  • Lize C. Jiskoot,
  • Harro Seelaar,
  • Barbara Borroni,
  • Daniela Galimberti,
  • Raquel Sanchez-Valle,
  • Robert Laforce,
  • Fermin Moreno,
  • Matthis Synofzik,
  • Caroline Graff,
  • Mario Masellis,
  • Maria Carmela Tartaglia,
  • James B. Rowe,
  • Rik Vandenberghe,
  • Elizabeth Finger,
  • Fabrizio Tagliavini,
  • Alexandre de Mendonça,
  • Isabel Santana,
  • Chris R. Butler,
  • Simon Ducharme,
  • Alexander Gerhard,
  • Adrian Danek,
  • Johannes Levin,
  • Markus Otto,
  • Sandro Sorbi,
  • Isabelle Le Ber,
  • Florence Pasquier,
  • Jonathan D. Rohrer,
  • Sónia Afonso,
  • Maria Rosario Almeida,
  • Sarah Anderl-Straub,
  • Christin Andersson,
  • Anna Antonell,
  • Silvana Archetti,
  • Andrea Arighi,
  • Mircea Balasa,
  • Myriam Barandiaran,
  • Nuria Bargalló,
  • Robart Bartha,
  • Benjamin Bender,
  • Alberto Benussi,
  • Maxime Bertoux,
  • Anne Bertrand,
  • Valentina Bessi,
  • Sandra Black,
  • Sergi Borrego-Ecija,
  • Jose Bras,
  • Alexis Brice,
  • Rose Bruffaerts,
  • Agnès Camuzat,
  • Marta Cañada,
  • Valentina Cantoni,
  • Paola Caroppo,
  • Miguel Castelo-Branco,
  • Olivier Colliot,
  • Thomas Cope,
  • Vincent Deramecourt,
  • María de Arriba,
  • Giuseppe Di Fede,
  • Alina Díez,
  • Diana Duro,
  • Chiara Fenoglio,
  • Camilla Ferrari,
  • Catarina B. Ferreira,
  • Nick Fox,
  • Morris Freedman,
  • Giorgio Fumagalli,
  • Aurélie Funkiewiez,
  • Alazne Gabilondo,
  • Roberto Gasparotti,
  • Serge Gauthier,
  • Stefano Gazzina,
  • Giorgio Giaccone,
  • Ana Gorostidi,
  • Caroline Greaves,
  • Rita Guerreiro,
  • Carolin Heller,
  • Tobias Hoegen,
  • Begoña Indakoetxea,
  • Vesna Jelic,
  • Hans-Otto Karnath,
  • Ron Keren,
  • Gregory Kuchcinski,
  • Tobias Langheinrich,
  • Thibaud Lebouvier,
  • Maria João Leitão,
  • Albert Lladó,
  • Gemma Lombardi,
  • Sandra Loosli,
  • Carolina Maruta,
  • Simon Mead,
  • Lieke Meeter,
  • Gabriel Miltenberger,
  • Rick van Minkelen,
  • Sara Mitchell,
  • Katrina Moore,
  • Benedetta Nacmias,
  • Annabel Nelson,
  • Jennifer Nicholas,
  • Linn Öijerstedt,
  • Jaume Olives,
  • Sebastien Ourselin,
  • Alessandro Padovani,
  • Jessica Panman,
  • Janne M. Papma,
  • Yolande Pijnenburg,
  • Cristina Polito,
  • Enrico Premi,
  • Sara Prioni,
  • Catharina Prix,
  • Rosa Rademakers,
  • Veronica Redaelli,
  • Daisy Rinaldi,
  • Tim Rittman,
  • Ekaterina Rogaeva,
  • Adeline Rollin,
  • Pedro Rosa-Neto,
  • Giacomina Rossi,
  • Martin Rossor,
  • Beatriz Santiago,
  • Dario Saracino,
  • Sabrina Sayah,
  • Elio Scarpini,
  • Sonja Schönecker,
  • Elisa Semler,
  • Rachelle Shafei,
  • Christen Shoesmith,
  • Imogen Swift,
  • Miguel Tábuas-Pereira,
  • Mikel Tainta,
  • Ricardo Taipa,
  • David Tang-Wai,
  • Paul Thompson,
  • Hakan Thonberg,
  • Carolyn Timberlake,
  • Pietro Tiraboschi,
  • Philip Van Damme,
  • Mathieu Vandenbulcke,
  • Michele Veldsman,
  • Ana Verdelho,
  • Jorge Villanua,
  • Jason Warren,
  • Carlo Wilke,
  • Ione Woollacott,
  • Elisabeth Wlasich,
  • Henrik Zetterberg,
  • Miren Zulaica

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 30
p. 102646

Abstract

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Background: Studies have previously shown evidence for presymptomatic cortical atrophy in genetic FTD. Whilst initial investigations have also identified early deep grey matter volume loss, little is known about the extent of subcortical involvement, particularly within subregions, and how this differs between genetic groups. Methods: 480 mutation carriers from the Genetic FTD Initiative (GENFI) were included (198 GRN, 202 C9orf72, 80 MAPT), together with 298 non-carrier cognitively normal controls. Cortical and subcortical volumes of interest were generated using automated parcellation methods on volumetric 3 T T1-weighted MRI scans. Mutation carriers were divided into three disease stages based on their global CDR® plus NACC FTLD score: asymptomatic (0), possibly or mildly symptomatic (0.5) and fully symptomatic (1 or more). Results: In all three groups, subcortical involvement was seen at the CDR 0.5 stage prior to phenoconversion, whereas in the C9orf72 and MAPT mutation carriers there was also involvement at the CDR 0 stage. In the C9orf72 expansion carriers the earliest volume changes were in thalamic subnuclei (particularly pulvinar and lateral geniculate, 9–10%) cerebellum (lobules VIIa-Crus II and VIIIb, 2–3%), hippocampus (particularly presubiculum and CA1, 2–3%), amygdala (all subregions, 2–6%) and hypothalamus (superior tuberal region, 1%). In MAPT mutation carriers changes were seen at CDR 0 in the hippocampus (subiculum, presubiculum and tail, 3–4%) and amygdala (accessory basal and superficial nuclei, 2–4%). GRN mutation carriers showed subcortical differences at CDR 0.5 in the presubiculum of the hippocampus (8%). Conclusions: C9orf72 expansion carriers show the earliest and most widespread changes including the thalamus, basal ganglia and medial temporal lobe. By investigating individual subregions, changes can also be seen at CDR 0 in MAPT mutation carriers within the limbic system. Our results suggest that subcortical brain volumes may be used as markers of neurodegeneration even prior to the onset of prodromal symptoms.

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