@article{HaberstumpfForsterLeinweberetal.2022,
  author    = {Haberstumpf, Sophia and Forster, Andr{\´e} and Leinweber, Jonas and Rauskolb, Stefanie and Hewig, Johannes and Sendtner, Michael and Lauer, Martin and Polak, Thomas and Deckert, J{\"u}rgen and Herrmann, Martin J.},
  title     = {Measurement invariance testing of longitudinal neuropsychiatric test scores distinguishes pathological from normative cognitive decline and highlights its potential in early detection research},
  series = {Journal of Neuropsychology},
  volume    = {16},
  journal   = {Journal of Neuropsychology},
  number    = {2},
  doi       = {10.1111/jnp.12269},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-318932},
  pages     = {324 -- 352},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Objective Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a growing challenge worldwide, which is why the search for early-onset predictors must be focused as soon as possible. Longitudinal studies that investigate courses of neuropsychological and other variables screen for such predictors correlated to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, one often neglected issue in analyses of such studies is measurement invariance (MI), which is often assumed but not tested for. This study uses the absence of MI (non-MI) and latent factor scores instead of composite variables to assess properties of cognitive domains, compensation mechanisms, and their predictability to establish a method for a more comprehensive understanding of pathological cognitive decline. Methods An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a set of increasingly restricted confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted to find latent factors, compared them with the composite approach, and to test for longitudinal (partial-)MI in a neuropsychiatric test battery, consisting of 14 test variables. A total of 330 elderly (mean age: 73.78 ± 1.52 years at baseline) were analyzed two times (3 years apart). Results EFA revealed a four-factor model representing declarative memory, attention, working memory, and visual-spatial processing. Based on CFA, an accurate model was estimated across both measurement timepoints. Partial non-MI was found for parameters such as loadings, test- and latent factor intercepts as well as latent factor variances. The latent factor approach was preferable to the composite approach. Conclusion The overall assessment of non-MI latent factors may pose a possible target for this field of research. Hence, the non-MI of variances indicated variables that are especially suited for the prediction of pathological cognitive decline, while non-MI of intercepts indicated general aging-related decline. As a result, the sole assessment of MI may help distinguish pathological from normative aging processes and additionally may reveal compensatory neuropsychological mechanisms.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FareedQasmiAzizetal.2022,
  author    = {Fareed, Muhammad Mazhar and Qasmi, Maryam and Aziz, Shaan and V{\"o}lker, Elisabeth and F{\"o}rster, Carola Yvette and Shityakov, Sergey},
  title     = {The role of clusterin transporter in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease at the blood-brain barrier interface: a systematic review},
  series = {Biomolecules},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Biomolecules},
  number    = {10},
  issn      = {2218-273X},
  doi       = {10.3390/biom12101452},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-290279},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered a chronic and debilitating neurological illness that is increasingly impacting older-age populations. Some proteins, including clusterin (CLU or apolipoprotein J) transporter, can be linked to AD, causing oxidative stress. Therefore, its activity can affect various functions involving complement system inactivation, lipid transport, chaperone activity, neuronal transmission, and cellular survival pathways. This transporter is known to bind to the amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide, which is the major pathogenic factor of AD. On the other hand, this transporter is also active at the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a barrier that prevents harmful substances from entering and exiting the brain. Therefore, in this review, we discuss and emphasize the role of the CLU transporter and CLU-linked molecular mechanisms at the BBB interface in the pathogenesis of AD.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FoersterShityakovScheperetal.2022,
  author    = {F{\"o}rster, Carola Y. and Shityakov, Sergey and Scheper, Verena and Lenarz, Thomas},
  title     = {Linking cerebrovascular dysfunction to age-related hearing loss and Alzheimer's disease — are systemic approaches for diagnosis and therapy required?},
  series = {Biomolecules},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Biomolecules},
  number    = {11},
  issn      = {2218-273X},
  doi       = {10.3390/biom12111717},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-297552},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with neurovascular dysfunction, cognitive decline, and the accumulation of amyloid β peptide (Aβ) in the brain and tau-related lesions in neurons termed neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Aβ deposits and NFT formation are the central pathological hallmarks in AD brains, and the majority of AD cases have been shown to exhibit a complex combination of systemic comorbidities. While AD is the foremost common cause of dementia in the elderly, age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most predominant sensory deficit in the elderly. During aging, chronic inflammation and resulting endothelial dysfunction have been described and might be key contributors to AD; we discuss an intriguing possible link between inner ear strial microvascular pathology and blood-brain barrier pathology and present ARHL as a potentially modifiable and treatable risk factor for AD development. We present compelling evidence that ARHL might well be seen as an important risk factor in AD development: progressive hearing impairment, leading to social isolation, and its comorbidities, such as frailty, falls, and late-onset depression, link ARHL with cognitive decline and increased risk of dementia, rendering it tempting to speculate that ARHL might be a potential common molecular and pathological trigger for AD. Additionally, one could speculate that amyloid-beta might damage the blood-labyrinth barrier as it does to the blood-brain barrier, leading to ARHL pathology. Finally, there are options for the treatment of ARHL by targeted neurotrophic factor supplementation to the cochlea to improve cognitive outcomes; they can also prevent AD development and AD-related comorbidity in the future.},
  language  = {en}
}