Distinct Cognitive Trajectories According to Amyloid Positivity in Non-Alzheimer Disease Dementias

The clinical effects of β-amyloid positivity (Aβ+) on copathologies in various dementias remain relatively underexamined. Thus, the present study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and clinical effects of Aβ+ in subcortical vascular cognitive impairment (SVCI) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

We enrolled SVCI (n = 583), FTD (n = 152), and cognitively unimpaired (CU) participants (n = 1,249) who underwent Aβ PET scans. The odds of having Aβ+ were subsequently compared among the diagnostic groups (CU, SVCI, and FTD) according to age and apolipoprotein E genotype. Additionally, a linear mixed-effects model was used to investigate the effects of Aβ+ on cognitive trajectories in SVCI and FTD.

Compared with CU, the SVCI group had a higher prevalence of Aβ+ in the 75 to 90 years age group (adjusted odds ratio, 1.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.36-2.85; P < 0.001), as well as within the apolipoprotein E ε3/ε3 group (adjusted odds ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-2.63; P = 0.001), whereas the FTD group showed no difference in Aβ+ prevalence. Aβ+ was associated with a worse cognitive trajectory in SVCI (adjusted β-coefficient = -0.6424; P < 0.001), but not in FTD.

These findings contribute to our understanding of Aβ biomarker traits in various dementias in Korea.