Impact of our Research

Once obtaining a diagnosis of a form of cognitive impairment likely due to Alzheimer’s disease or Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration or a related disorder, most individuals want to talk about prognosis and treatment. We have performed a large body of work examining the use of various clinical or imaging measures to predict the progression of cognitive decline or behavioral symptoms. Results have shown that—at least for groups of patients—the rate of decline can be predicted by a combination of the severity of cognitive symptoms as they affect a person in daily life and a person’s difficulties performing cognitive tests in the clinic or lab. In addition, MRI measures of brain shrinkage or changes in function are useful for prediction.

• Casaletto KB, Staffaroni AM, Wolf A, Appleby B, Brushaber D, Coppola G, Dickerson B, Domoto-Reilly K, Elahi FM, Fields J, Fong JC, Forsberg L, Ghoshal N, Graff-Radford N, Grossman M, Heuer HW, Hsiung GY, Huey ED, Irwin D, Kantarci K, Kaufer D, Kerwin D, Knopman D, Kornak J, Kramer JH, Litvan I, Mackenzie IR, Mendez M, Miller B, Rademakers R, Ramos EM, Rascovsky K, Roberson ED, Syrjanen JA, Tartaglia MC, Weintraub S, Boeve B, Boxer AL, Rosen H, Yaffe K; ARTFL/LEFFTDS Study. Active lifestyles moderate clinical outcomes in autosomal dominant frontotemporal degeneration. Alzheimers Dement. 2020 Jan;16(1):91-105.
• Racine AM, Touroutoglou A, Abrantes T, Wong B, Fong TG, Cavallari M, Travison TG, Gou Y, Marcantonio ER, Alsop DC, Jones RN, Inouye SK, Dickerson BC; SAGES study group. Older Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Cortical Atrophy Who Develop Post-Operative Delirium May Be at Increased Risk of Long-Term Cognitive Decline After Surgery. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;75(1):187-199. doi: 10.3233/JAD-190380.