Cited by 538Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ResearchAlzheimer's disease research and treatments

Presymptomatic cognitive and neuroanatomical changes in genetic frontotemporal dementia in the Genetic Frontotemporal dementia Initiative (GENFI) study: a cross-sectional analysis

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Rohrer, Jonathan D, Nicholas, Jennifer M, Cash, David M, van Swieten, John, Dopper, Elise, Jiskoot, Lize, van Minkelen, Rick, Rombouts, Serge A +50 more·2015·The Lancet Neurology

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Frontotemporal dementia is a highly heritable neurodegenerative disorder. In about a third of patients, the disease is caused by autosomal dominant genetic mutations usually in one of three genes: progranulin (GRN), microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT), or chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72). Findings from studies of other genetic dementias have shown neuroimaging and cognitive changes before symptoms onset, and we aimed to identify whether such changes could be shown in frontotemporal dementia. METHODS: We recruited participants to this multicentre study who either were known carriers of a pathogenic mutation in GRN, MAPT, or C9orf72, or were at risk of carrying a mutation because a first-degree relative was a known symptomatic carrier. We calculated time to expected onset as the difference between age at assessment and mean age at onset within the family. Participants underwent a standardised clinical assessment and neuropsychological battery. We did MRI and generated cortical and subcortical volumes using a parcellation of the volumetric T1-weighted scan. We used linear mixed-effects models to examine whether the association of neuropsychology and imaging measures with time to expected onset of symptoms differed between mutation carriers and non-carriers. FINDINGS: Between Jan 30, 2012, and Sept 15, 2013, we recruited participants from 11 research sites in the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Canada. We analysed data from 220 participants: 118 mutation carriers (40 symptomatic and 78 asymptomatic) and 102 non-carriers. For neuropsychology measures, we noted the earliest significant differences between mutation carriers and non-carriers 5 years before expected onset, when differences were significant for all measures except for tests of immediate recall and verbal fluency. We noted the largest Z score differences between carriers and non-carriers 5 years before expected onset in tests of naming (Boston Naming Test -0·7; SE 0·3) and executive function (Trail Making Test Part B, Digit Span backwards, and Digit Symbol Task, all -0·5, SE 0·2). For imaging measures, we noted differences earliest for the insula (at 10 years before expected symptom onset, mean volume as a percentage of total intracranial volume was 0·80% in mutation carriers and 0·84% in non-carriers; difference -0·04, SE 0·02) followed by the temporal lobe (at 10 years before expected symptom onset, mean volume as a percentage of total intracranial volume 8·1% in mutation carriers and 8·3% in non-carriers; difference -0·2, SE 0·1). INTERPRETATION: Structural imaging and cognitive changes can be identified 5-10 years before expected onset of symptoms in asymptomatic adults at risk of genetic frontotemporal dementia. These findings could help to define biomarkers that can stage presymptomatic disease and track disease progression, which will be important for future therapeutic trials. FUNDING: Centres of Excellence in Neurodegeneration.

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Authors
Rohrer, J. D., Nicholas, J. M., Cash, D. M., van Swieten, J., Dopper, E., Jiskoot, L., van Minkelen, R., Rombouts, S. A., Cardoso, M. J., Clegg, S., Espak, M., Mead, S., Thomas, D. L., De Vita, E., Masellis, M., Black, S. E., Freedman, M., Keren, R., MacIntosh, B. J., Rogaeva, E., Tang-Wai, D., Tartaglia, M. C., Laforce, R., Tagliavini, F., Tiraboschi, P., Redaelli, V., Prioni, S., Grisoli, M., Borroni, B., Padovani, A., Galimberti, D., Scarpini, E., Arighi, A., Fumagalli, G., Rowe, J. B., Coyle-Gilchrist, I., Graff, C., Fallström, M., Jelic, V., Ståhlbom, A. K., Andersson, C., Thonberg, H., Lilius, L., Frisoni, G. B., Binetti, G., Pievani, M., Bocchetta, M., Benussi, L., Ghidoni, R., Finger, E., Sorbi, S., Nacmias, B., Lombardi, G., Polito, C., Warren, J. D., Ourselin, S., Fox, N. C., & Rossor, M. N.
Affiliations
  • University College London (GB)
  • London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
  • UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology (GB)
  • Erasmus MC (NL)
  • Leiden University (NL)
  • MRC Prion Unit (GB)
  • Sunnybrook Health Science Centre (CA)
  • Mount Sinai Hospital (CA)
  • University Health Network (CA)
  • University of Toronto (CA)
  • Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus (CA)
  • Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta (IT)
  • University of Brescia (IT)
  • University of Milan (IT)
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
  • Karolinska University Hospital (SE)
  • Karolinska Institutet (SE)
  • University of Geneva (CH)
  • Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli (IT)
  • Western University (CA)
  • University of Florence (IT)
Corresponding author
Rossor, Martin N
Venue
The Lancet Neurology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-03
Volume
14
Issue
3
Pages
253-262
ISSN
1474-4422 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2106786486
Cited by
538
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 30 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 63 · 2021: 56 · 2020: 58 · 2019: 57 · 2018: 53 · 2017: 47 · 2016: 34 · 2015: 18
FWCI
41.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Lancet Neurology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • LSHTM Research Online (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (acceptedVersion)
  • Florence Research (University of Florence) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Institutional Research Information System (Università degli Studi di Trento) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca (Universita Degli Studi Di Milano) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (submittedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Institutional Research Information System (Università degli Studi di Brescia) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • UEA Digital Repository (University of East Anglia) (submittedVersion)
  • Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust (103838/Z/14/Z, 103838, 088324, 091673, 091673/Z/10/Z)
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (NF-SI-0512-10033, NF-SI-0513-10134, NF-SI-0508-10123, CL-2012-18-010)
  • Brain Research Trust
  • University College London
  • Ministero della Salute
  • Swedish Brain Power
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research
  • Medical Research Council (MR/K006584/1, MR/M501724/1, MR/M023664/1, MR/M024873/1, MR/M008525/1, MR/J009482/1, MR/J01107X/1, MR/M009041/1)
  • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/J020990/1, EP/M020533/1, EP/H046410/1)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
Keywords
frontotemporal dementia, mutation carriers, progranulin, MAPT, C9orf72, executive function, cortical thickness, cortical surface area, cortical volume, subcortical volume, neuroimaging biomarkers, neurodegeneration, hereditary dementia
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain, Cognition Disorders, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Mutation, Neuropsychological Tests, Frontotemporal Dementia, Asymptomatic Diseases

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