White matter hyperintensities (WMH) in patients with cerebrovascular risk factors (CVRF), are often linked to cerebral vascular changes, but can be caused by genetic variants selectively targeting whi Show more
White matter hyperintensities (WMH) in patients with cerebrovascular risk factors (CVRF), are often linked to cerebral vascular changes, but can be caused by genetic variants selectively targeting white matter. In addition, WMH can be present in neurodegenerative disorders such as frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and are linked to some FTLD genetic variants. This study aims to investigate WMH burden in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) versus controls and to evaluates the influence of CVRF. This cross-sectional retrospective analysis examined individuals meeting research diagnostic criteria for bvFTD and svPPA with high-quality structural MRI at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center between September 2008 and December 2021. WMH burden and spatial distribution were assessed by disease group compared to age- and sex-matched controls and associations with CVRF evaluated. We included 109 individuals with bvFTD [mean age (SD) 62.9 (8.6), 40% female], 47 with svPPA [mean (SD) age 65.4 (7.5), 51% female], and matched controls. After adjusting for age, bvFTD and svPPA are associated with elevated WMH burden independent of CVRF. In bvFTD, WMH are primarily distributed within the frontal lobes, while svPPA shows widespread distribution across lobes. Study limitations include its retrospective, single-center design and limited power for genetic subgroup analyses. Show less
Neuroinflammation is a key feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and stem cell therapies have emerged as promising candidates due to their immunomodulatory properties. Neuro-Cells (NC), a combination o Show more
Neuroinflammation is a key feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and stem cell therapies have emerged as promising candidates due to their immunomodulatory properties. Neuro-Cells (NC), a combination of unmodified mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), have demonstrated therapeutic potential in models of central nervous system (CNS) injury and neurodegeneration. Here, we studied the effects of NC in APPswe/PS1dE9 mice, an AD mouse model. Twelve-month-old APPswe/PS1dE9 mice or their wild-type littermates were injected with NC or vehicle into the cisterna magna. Five to six weeks post-injection, cognitive, locomotor, and emotional behaviors were assessed. The brain was stained for amyloid plaque density using Congo red, and for astrogliosis using DAPI and GFAP staining. Gene expression of immune activation markers ( Show less