%0 Journal Article %J J Alzheimers Dis %D 2017 %T Improved Cerebrospinal Fluid-Based Discrimination between Alzheimer's Disease Patients and Controls after Correction for Ventricular Volumes. %A van Waalwijk van Doorn, Linda J C %A Gispert, Juan D %A Kuiperij, H Bea %A Claassen, Jurgen A H R %A Arighi, Andrea %A Baldeiras, Ines %A Blennow, Kaj %A Bozzali, Marco %A Castelo-Branco, Miguel %A Cavedo, Enrica %A Emek-Savaş, Derya D %A Eren, Erden %A Eusebi, Paolo %A Farotti, Lucia %A Fenoglio, Chiara %A Ormaechea, Juan Fortea %A Freund-Levi, Yvonne %A Frisoni, Giovanni B %A Galimberti, Daniela %A Genc, Sermin %A Greco, Viviana %A Hampel, Harald %A Herukka, Sanna-Kaisa %A Liu, Yawu %A Lladó, Albert %A Lleo, Alberto %A Nobili, Flavio M %A Oguz, Kader K %A Parnetti, Lucilla %A Pereira, João %A Picco, Agnese %A Pikkarainen, Maria %A de Oliveira, Catarina Resende %A Saka, Esen %A Salvadori, Nicola %A Sánchez-Valle, Raquel %A Santana, Isabel %A Scarpini, Elio %A Scheltens, Philip %A Soininen, Hilkka %A Tarducci, Roberto %A Teunissen, Charlotte %A Tsolaki, Magda %A Urbani, Andrea %A Vilaplana, Eduard %A Visser, Pieter Jelle %A Wallin, Asa K %A Yener, Görsev %A Molinuevo, José L %A Meulenbroek, Olga %A Verbeek, Marcel M %X

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers may support the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We studied if the diagnostic power of AD CSF biomarker concentrations, i.e., Aβ42, total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau (p-tau), is affected by differences in lateral ventricular volume (VV), using CSF biomarker data and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 730 subjects, from 13 European Memory Clinics. We developed a Matlab-algorithm for standardized automated segmentation analysis of T1 weighted MRI scans in SPM8 for determining VV, and computed its ratio with total intracranial volume (TIV) as proxy for total CSF volume. The diagnostic power of CSF biomarkers (and their combination), either corrected for VV/TIV ratio or not, was determined by ROC analysis. CSF Aβ42 levels inversely correlated to VV/TIV in the whole study population (Aβ42: r = -0.28; p < 0.0001). For CSF t-tau and p-tau, this association only reached statistical significance in the combined MCI and AD group (t-tau: r = -0.15; p-tau: r = -0.13; both p < 0.01). Correction for differences in VV/TIV improved the differentiation of AD versus controls based on CSF Aβ42 alone (AUC: 0.75 versus 0.81) or in combination with t-tau (AUC: 0.81 versus 0.91). In conclusion, differences in VV may be an important confounder in interpreting CSF Aβ42 levels.

%B J Alzheimers Dis %V 56 %P 543-555 %8 2017 %G eng %N 2 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28059783?dopt=Abstract %R 10.3233/JAD-160668 %0 Journal Article %J J Alzheimers Dis %D 2016 %T The Memory Binding Test: Development of Two Alternate Forms into Spanish and Catalan. %A Gramunt, Nina %A Sánchez-Benavides, Gonzalo %A Buschke, Herman %A Diéguez-Vide, Faustino %A Peña-Casanova, Jordi %A Masramon, Xavier %A Fauria, Karine %A Gispert, Juan D %A Molinuevo, José L %X

BACKGROUND: The Memory Binding Test (MBT) is emerging as a promising tool for the detection of subtle memory impairment suggestive of Alzheimer's disease (AD). For such a test to be widely accessed and used, the availability of both alternate forms and language adaptations is required.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a thorough methodology for obtaining alternate forms (A and B) of the MBT in Spanish and Catalan and to assess their equivalence.

METHOD: According to the original development of the test, frequency was taken as the lexical variable of reference for the Spanish and Catalan adaptations. A crossed design protocol by form and language was used to compare the MBT results in a sample of 290 cognitively normal middle-aged participants. Pairwise Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) were calculated among the six possible combinations.

RESULTS: The Spanish and Catalan lists of words for the MBT A and B resulting from the adaptation process as well as the original lists in English are presented. ICC indices for the comparisons between forms and languages ranged from 0.56 to 0.82.

CONCLUSION: The MBT A and B in Spanish and Catalan showed similar outcomes and can be considered equivalent. Moreover, the thorough methodology presented here for the transcultural adaptation and equivalence study, could serve as a model for future adaptations of the MBT and other verbal tests.

%B J Alzheimers Dis %V 52 %P 283-93 %8 2016 03 05 %G eng %N 1 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27060959?dopt=Abstract %R 10.3233/JAD-151175 %0 Journal Article %J J Alzheimers Dis %D 2016 %T Psychometric Properties of the Memory Binding Test: Test-Retest Reliability and Convergent Validity. %A Gramunt, Nina %A Sánchez-Benavides, Gonzalo %A Buschke, Herman %A Lipton, Richard B %A Masramon, Xavier %A Gispert, Juan D %A Peña-Casanova, Jordi %A Fauria, Karine %A Molinuevo, José L %K Aged %K Alzheimer Disease %K Female %K Humans %K Male %K Memory %K Middle Aged %K Psychological Tests %K Psychometrics %K Reproducibility of Results %X

BACKGROUND: Episodic memory testing is fundamental for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) is widely used for this purpose, it may not be sensitive enough for early detection of subtle decline in preclinical AD. The Memory Binding Test (MBT) intends to overcome this limitation.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the test-retest reliability of the MBT and its convergent validity with the FCRST.

METHODS: 36 cognitively healthy participants of the ALFA Study, aged 45 to 65, were included for the test-retest study and 69 for the convergent analysis. They were visited twice in a period of 6 ± 2 weeks. Test-retest reliability was determined by the calculation of the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Score differences were studied by computing the mean percentage of score variation between visits and visualized by Bland-Altman plots. Convergent validity was determined by Pearson's correlations.

RESULTS: ICC values in the test-retest reliability analysis of the MBT direct scores ranged from 0.64 to 0.76. Subjects showed consistent practice effects, with mean amounts of score increasing between 10% and 26%. Pearson correlation between MBT and FCSRT direct scores showed r values between 0.40 and 0.53. The FCSRT displayed ceiling effects not observed in the MBT.

CONCLUSIONS: The MBT shows adequate test-retest reliability and overall moderate convergent validity with the FCSRT. Unlike the FCSRT, the MBT does not have ceiling effects and it may therefore be especially useful in longitudinal studies, facilitating the measurement of subtle memory performance decline and the detection of very early AD.

%B J Alzheimers Dis %V 50 %P 999-1010 %8 2016 %G eng %N 4 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26836167?dopt=Abstract %R 10.3233/JAD-150776