Papers by Ging-yuek Hsiung
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, Jun 16, 2022
Avoid or Embrace? practice effects in clinical trials but incorporating practice effects as outco... more Avoid or Embrace? practice effects in clinical trials but incorporating practice effects as outcomes may also be viable. Thus, investigators must carefully consider practice effects (either by minimizing them or modeling them directly) when designing cognitive endpoint AD prevention trials by utilizing trial data with similar assessment frequencies.
Alzheimers & Dementia, Jul 1, 2011
Neurology Today, 2019
I f you are a neurologist looking for a new job, there is some great news for you. According to a... more I f you are a neurologist looking for a new job, there is some great news for you. According to an October 2018 analysis, neurology was identified as the "most-in-demand" specialty by PracticeLink, an online physician recruitment resource that analyzed their database to see which specialties have the most jobs posted overall. In order to create its physician recruitment index, the site then ranked those in-demand jamie talan S ome human cadaveric pituitary growth hormone (c-hGH) samples used from the 1950s through the mid-1980s to treat children with short stature were contaminated with prion 'The Absolute Demand' Neurology Today spoke to several recruitment specialists in order to better understand the market. Travis Singleton, executive vice president at Merritt Hawkins, the largest physician recruitment firm in the United States, advised that the best way to look at supply and demand is to examine the number of jobs in relationship to size of specialty for the so-called "absolute demand. " According to Merritt Hawkins data, neurology is the now the fifth most requested specialty at the firm as of the last 12 months, having risen from ninth place in the previous year. Prion Unit of University College London in collaboration with scientists at Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, collected c-hGH samples stored since 1985 (when companies substituted synthetic pituitary growth hormone) and found that the Abeta deposits were able to infect, "seed," and lay down clumps of Abeta in transgenic AD animal models.
JAMA Neurology
ImportancePhysical activity is associated with cognitive health, even in autosomal dominant forms... more ImportancePhysical activity is associated with cognitive health, even in autosomal dominant forms of dementia. Higher physical activity is associated with slowed cognitive and functional declines over time in adults carrying autosomal dominant variants for frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), but whether axonal degeneration is a potential neuroprotective target of physical activity in individuals with FTLD is unknown.ObjectiveTo examine the association between physical activity and longitudinal neurofilament light chain (NfL) trajectories in individuals with autosomal dominant forms of FTLD.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cohort study included individuals from the ALLFTD Consortium, which recruited patients from sites in the US and Canada. Symptomatic and asymptomatic adults with pathogenic variants in one of 3 common genes associated with FTLD (GRN, C9orf72, or MAPT) who reported baseline physical activity levels and completed annual blood draws were assessed annually fo...
International Journal of Bilingualism
Aims and Objectives: Cognitive abilities between monolingual and bilingual individuals may differ... more Aims and Objectives: Cognitive abilities between monolingual and bilingual individuals may differ, making it an important factor to consider during the administration of cognitive screening tools. Otherwise, assessments could be subject to misinterpretation, leading to possible inaccurate diagnoses. The current project aimed to compare cognitive performance of healthy older monolingual and bilingual anglophones on the English version of a new cognitive screening test designed for better recognition of atypical dementia: the Dépistage Cognitif de Québec (DCQ; www.dcqtest.org ). Design: The DCQ was administered by qualified psychometricians to 85 native English-speaking participants aged 50 years and over, in various sites across Canada. Language proficiency was established using the Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP-Q). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to exclude individuals with cognitive impairments. Data and Analysis: Amid the anglophone part...
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
Demonstrating a slowing in the rate of cognitive decline is a common outcome measure in clinical ... more Demonstrating a slowing in the rate of cognitive decline is a common outcome measure in clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Selection of cognitive endpoints typically includes modeling candidate outcome measures in the many, richly phenotyped observational cohort studies available. An important part of choosing cognitive endpoints is a consideration of improvements in performance due to repeated cognitive testing (termed “practice effects”). As primary and secondary AD prevention trials are comprised predominantly of cognitively unimpaired participants, practice effects may be substantial and may have considerable impact on detecting cognitive change. The extent to which practice effects in AD prevention trials are similar to those from observational studies and how these potential differences impact trials is unknown. In the current study, we analyzed data from the recently completed DIAN-TU-001 clinical trial (TU) and the associated DIAN-Observational (OBS) study. Results...
Brain, 2021
At present, no research criteria exist for the diagnosis of prodromal behavioural variant frontot... more At present, no research criteria exist for the diagnosis of prodromal behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), though early detection is of high research importance. Thus, we sought to develop and validate a proposed set of research criteria for prodromal bvFTD, termed ‘mild behavioural and/or cognitive impairment in bvFTD’ (MBCI-FTD). Participants included 72 participants deemed to have prodromal bvFTD; this comprised 55 carriers of a pathogenic mutation known to cause frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and 17 individuals with autopsy-confirmed frontotemporal lobar degeneration. All had mild behavioural and/or cognitive changes, as judged by an evaluating clinician. Based on extensive clinical workup, the prodromal bvFTD group was divided into a Development Group (n = 22) and a Validation Group (n = 50). The Development Group was selected to be the subset of the prodromal bvFTD group for whom we had the strongest longitudinal evidence of conversion to bvFTD, and was use...
Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2015
Gender % (n) % (n) % (n) Male 44.4 (28) 46.7 (14) 42.4 (14) Female 55.6 (35) 53.3 (16) 57.6 (19) ... more Gender % (n) % (n) % (n) Male 44.4 (28) 46.7 (14) 42.4 (14) Female 55.6 (35) 53.3 (16) 57.6 (19) Level of Education Less then High School 3.2 (2) 6.7 (2) 0.0 (0) High School 19.0 (12) 20.0 (6) 18.2 (6) Associates Degree 7.9 (5) 13.3 (4) 3.0 (1) Current College Student 50.8 (32) 40.0 (12) 60.6 (20) Bachelors Degree 15.9 (2) 20.0 (6) 12.1 (4) Graduate Degree 3.2 (2) 0.0 (0) 2(6.1) Race / Ethnicity White (Not Hispanic) 69.8 (44) 63.3 (19) 75.8 (25) Black / African American 4.8 (3) 6.7 (2) 3.0 (1) Hispanic 11.1 (7) 6.7 (2) 15.2 (5) Asian / Pacific Islander 7.9 (5) 10.0 (3) 6.1 (2) American Indian 1.6 (1) 3.3 (1) 0.0 (0) Mixed / Multiple 4.
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2009
however because of non-specific symptoms of some diseases in geriatric patients, no clear inciden... more however because of non-specific symptoms of some diseases in geriatric patients, no clear incidence was registered. In conclusion, in the present study, in nearly half of the off-label use of drugs, geriatric residents were not aware of this unapproved use. The off-label use of drugs was justified in 72,6% and occurred without serious adverse events.
Annals of neurology, Jan 26, 2018
To estimate the prevalence of amyloid-positivity, defined by PET/CSF biomarkers and/or neuropatho... more To estimate the prevalence of amyloid-positivity, defined by PET/CSF biomarkers and/or neuropathological examination, in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) variants. We conducted a meta-analysis with individual participant data from 1,251 patients diagnosed with PPA (including logopenic [lvPPA, n=443], non-fluent [nfvPPA, n=333], semantic [svPPA, n=401] and mixed/unclassifiable [PPA-M/U, n=74] variants of PPA) from 36 centers, with a measure of amyloid-β pathology (CSF [n=600]), PET [n=366] and/or autopsy [n=378]) available. The estimated prevalence of amyloid-positivity according to PPA variant, age and apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 status was determined using generalized estimating equation models. Amyloid-β positivity was more prevalent in lvPPA (86%) than in nfvPPA (20%) or svPPA (16%) (p<0.001). Prevalence of amyloid-β positivity increased with age in nfvPPA (from 10% at age 50 to 27% at age 80, p<0.01) and svPPA (from 6% at age 50 to 32% at age 80, p<0.001), but not in lv...
The Lancet Neurology, 2019
Background Frontotemporal dementia is a heterogenous neurodegenerative disorder, with about a thi... more Background Frontotemporal dementia is a heterogenous neurodegenerative disorder, with about a third of cases being genetic. Most of this genetic component is accounted for by mutations in GRN, MAPT, and C9orf72. In this study, we aimed to complement previous phenotypic studies by doing an international study of age at symptom onset, age at death, and disease duration in individuals with mutations in GRN, MAPT, and C9orf72. Methods In this international, retrospective cohort study, we collected data on age at symptom onset, age at death, and disease duration for patients with pathogenic mutations in the GRN and MAPT genes and pathological expansions in the C9orf72 gene through the Frontotemporal Dementia Prevention Initiative and from published papers. We used mixed effects models to explore differences in age at onset, age at death, and disease duration between genetic groups and individual mutations. We also assessed correlations between the age at onset and at death of each individual and the age at onset and at death of their parents and the mean age at onset and at death of their family members. Lastly, we used mixed effects models to investigate the extent to which variability in age at onset and at death could be accounted for by family membership and the specific mutation carried. Findings Data were available from 3403 individuals from 1492 families: 1433 with C9orf72 expansions (755 families), 1179 with GRN mutations (483 families, 130 different mutations), and 791 with MAPT mutations (254 families, 67 different mutations). Mean age at symptom onset and at death was 49•5 years (SD 10•0; onset) and 58•5 years (11•3; death) in the MAPT group, 58•2 years (9•8; onset) and 65•3 years (10•9; death) in the C9orf72 group, and 61•3 years (8•8; onset) and 68•8 years (9•7; death) in the GRN group. Mean disease duration was 6•4 years (SD 4•9) in the C9orf72 group, 7•1 years (3•9) in the GRN group, and 9•3 years (6•4) in the MAPT group. Individual age at onset and at death was significantly correlated with both parental age at onset and at death and with mean family age at onset and at death in all three groups, with a stronger correlation observed in the MAPT group (r=0•45 between individual and parental age at onset, r=0•63 between individual and mean family age at onset, r=0•58 between individual and parental age at death, and r=0•69 between individual and mean family age at death) than in either the C9orf72 group (r=0•32 individual and parental age at onset, r=0•36 individual and mean family age at onset, r=0•38 individual and parental age at death, and r=0•40 individual and mean family age at death) or the GRN group (r=0•22 individual and parental age at onset, r=0•18 individual and mean family age at onset, r=0•22 individual and parental age at death, and r=0•32 individual and mean family age at death). Modelling showed that the variability in age at onset and at death in the MAPT group was explained partly by the specific mutation (48%, 95% CI 35-62, for age at onset; 61%, 47-73, for age at death), and even more by family membership (66%, 56-75, for age at onset; 74%, 65-82, for age at death). In the GRN group, only 2% (0-10) of the variability of age at onset and 9% (3-21) of that of age of death was explained by the specific mutation, whereas 14% (9-22) of the variability of age at onset and 20% (12-30) of that of age at death was explained by family membership. In the C9orf72 group, family membership explained 17% (11-26) of the variability of age at onset and 19% (12-29) of that of age at death.
Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2013
P1-149 CANADA-CHINA COHORT STUDY OF EARLY-ONSET FAMILIAL ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE Serge Gauthier, Jian... more P1-149 CANADA-CHINA COHORT STUDY OF EARLY-ONSET FAMILIAL ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE Serge Gauthier, Jianping Jia, Sylvie Belleville, Doris Doudet, Ging-Yuek Hsiung, A. Labbe, Dan Li, Wei Qin, Pedro Rosa-Neto, Dessa Sadovnick, Jean-Paul Soucy, Liyong Wu, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Xuan Wu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Research Center, Institut Universitaire de G eriatrie de Montr eal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; McGill Department of Biostatistics, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Neurology, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Xuan Wu Hospital, Beijing, China; MCSA, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; University of British Columbia Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; McGill Center for Studies in Aging, Verdun, Quebec, China. Contact e-mail: [email protected]
Cortex, 2021
Although executive dysfunction is the characteristic cognitive marker of behavioral variant front... more Although executive dysfunction is the characteristic cognitive marker of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), episodic memory deficits are relatively common, and may be present even during the prodromal disease phase. In a cohort of mutation carriers with mild behavioral and/or cognitive symptoms consistent with prodromal bvFTD, we aimed to investigate patterns of performance on an abbreviated list learning task, with a particular focus on recognition memory. We further aimed to characterize the cognitive prodromes associated with the three major genetic causes of frontotemporal dementia, as emerging evidence suggests there may be subtle differences in cognitive profiles among carriers of different genetic mutations. Participants included 57 carriers of a pathogenic mutation in microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT, N = 23), or progranulin (GRN, N = 15), or a or a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72, N = 19), with mild cog...
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement
RÉSUMÉ Cette étude a exploré l’efficacité de l’entraînement aérobie (EA) pour atténuer la progres... more RÉSUMÉ Cette étude a exploré l’efficacité de l’entraînement aérobie (EA) pour atténuer la progression de l’hyperintensité de la matière blanche (HMB) et les différences liées au sexe pour cette intervention. Un essai contrôlé randomisé a été mené pour évaluer l’effet de l’EA sur la cognition de personnes ayant un déficit cognitif d’origine vasculaire. Les participants ont été répartis aléatoirement entre deux groupes : 6 mois d’EA ou soins standards (groupe contrôle). Dans un sous-groupe de participants, l’imagerie par résonance magnétique a été utilisée pour quantifier le volume affecté par la HMB. Un modèle d’analyse de la covariance a permis de mettre en évidence une interaction sexe x groupe significative (p = 0,03). En effet, les femmes du groupe EA ont démontré une plus grande progression de l’hyperintensité de la matière blanche que les femmes du groupe contrôle (p = 0,05) pendant la durée de cette étude (6 mois). Chez les hommes, aucune différence n’a été observée entre les ...
Update on Dementia, 2016
Aim: 3Evidence indicates that the comorbidity of dementia with diabetes and depression may affect... more Aim: 3Evidence indicates that the comorbidity of dementia with diabetes and depression may affect most cognitive functions. Our chief interest was to examine the patterns of cognitive functioning in individuals diagnosed with dementia, diabetes, and depression as compared with dementia plus diabetes (DDM), or dementia plus depression (DD) and healthy controls. Methods: We included 207 participants with dementia (age 60+), 83 with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 66 vascular dementia (VaD), and 58 mixed dementia (AD/VaD). The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used for global neuropsychological assessment, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for symptoms of depression. Diabetes was confirmed by medical diagnosis. Results: Analysis showed differences in cognitive functioning among the groups with statistical significance. Notably, there was greater cognitive dysfunction in patients with diagnosis of dementia and depression than in controls, but the difference was reduced in patients with comorbid dementia diabetes. Subsequent comparisons indicated that vascular dementia with comorbid depression and diabetes presents significantly inferior cognitive performance than those with dementia alone or the control group. Conclusions: These results suggest that dementia, when combined with depression or diabetes, adversely affects cognitive performance. These findings highlight the importance of identifying depression among diabetics and patients with dementia.
Canadian Annual Review of Politics & Public Affairs, 2009
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Papers by Ging-yuek Hsiung