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Alzheimer Disease Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers Moderate Baseline Differences and Predict Longitudinal Change in Attentional Control and Episodic Memory Composites in the Adult Children Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 September 2015

Andrew J. Aschenbrenner*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
David A. Balota
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
Anne M. Fagan
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri The Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
Janet M. Duchek
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
Tammie L.S. Benzinger
Affiliation:
The Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
John C. Morris
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri The Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Andrew Aschenbrenner, Washington University, Department of Psychology, St. Louis, MO, 63130. E-mail: a.aschenbrenner@wustl.edu

Abstract

Cognitive measures that are sensitive to biological markers of Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology are needed to (a) facilitate preclinical staging, (b) identify individuals who are at the highest risk for developing clinical symptoms, and (c) serve as endpoints for evaluating the efficacy of interventions. The present study assesses the utility of two cognitive composite scores of attentional control and episodic memory as markers for preclinical AD pathology in a group of cognitively normal older adults (N=238), as part of the Adult Children Study. All participants were given a baseline cognitive assessment and follow-up assessments every 3 years over an 8-year period, as well as a lumbar puncture within 2 years of the initial assessment to collect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and amyloid tracer Pittsburgh compound-B scan for amyloid imaging. Results indicated that attentional control was correlated with levels of Aβ42 at the initial assessment whereas episodic memory was not. Longitudinally, individuals with high CSF tau exhibited a decline in both attention and episodic memory over the course of the study. These results indicate that measures of attentional control and episodic memory can be used to evaluate cognitive decline in preclinical AD and provide support that CSF tau may be a key mechanism driving longitudinal cognitive change. (JINS, 2015, 21, 573–583)

Type
Research Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2015 

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