M. Florencia Iulita, Spain

Institut de Recerca Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau Sant Pau Memory Unit

Florencia Iulita obtained her PhD in Pharmacology at McGill University, Canada, investigating cognitive and neuropathological aspects of Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome (2009-2014). She then pursued postdoctoral training in cerebrovascular physiology at Université de Montréal, studying the impact of hypertension and arterial stiffness on cerebral blood flow and inflammation (2015-2018). In May 2019 she joined the Memory Unit at Sant Pau where she is working on the isolation of cell-specific extracellular vesicles for biomarker discovery in neurodegenerative dementias. She is also involved with the Women’s Brain Project, a scientific workgroup based in Switzerland focusing on studies of sex and gender differences in brain and mental health. Dr. Florencia Iulita has published numerous scientific articles, reviews and editorials in leading neurology journals and has maintained several international collaborations with researchers in USA, Italy, Sweden and the UK. Her work has received multiple recognitions, including the Annette Karmiloff-Smith Award for Outstanding PhD Thesis awarded by the Trisomy 21 Research Society, a Prize of Excellence in Research from the Quebec Network for Research on Aging as well as research funding from the Fonds de recherche du Québec Santé and the Jerome Lejeune Foundation.

Presenter of 2 Presentations

Conference Calendar

EFFECT OF BIOLOGICAL SEX ON CLINICAL, BIOCHEMICAL AND NEUROIMAGING BIOMARKERS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE IN ADULTS WITH DOWN SYNDROME: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Session Name

SEX AND GENDER IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES

Session Type

SYMPOSIUM

Date

14.03.2021, Sunday

Session Time

08:00 - 10:00

Room

On Demand Symposia B

Lecture Time

09:30 - 09:45

Presenter

M. Florencia Iulita, Spain

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Abstract

Abstract

Aims

Biological sex is increasingly recognized as a modifier of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathophysiology and disease progression. We aimed to assess the effect of sex on cognitive and biomarker measures of AD in adults with Down syndrome, who have an ultra-high risk for developing AD dementia.

Methods

Cross-sectional study of 494 adults with Down syndrome recruited from two sites. We compared clinical characteristics and AD biomarkers between men (n=268) and women (n=226). Participants had at least one biomarker assessment among plasma NfL, Aβ1-42/1-40, p-Tau-181, tau and NfL in CSF, PET with amyloid tracers or 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose and/or MRI. We compared age at symptom onset and used within-group local regression models with confidence intervals to compare the trajectory of biomarker changes with age.

Results

The mean age at which women were diagnosed with dementia was 53 years vs. 53.6 for men (p=0.46). Women with Down syndrome showed earlier decreases in CSF Aß1-42, however no differences were found when comparing the Aß1-42/Aß1-40 ratio. The biomarker trajectories of plasma NfL and CSF NfL, p-Tau-181 and tau were similar across ages between men and women. Women had smaller head sizes and hippocampal volumes, but there were no differences in hippocampal volumes when adjusted for differences in head size. There were no differences in age-associated changes in cerebral amyloid deposition (Centiloid) or glucose metabolism (FDG-PET).

Conclusions

In adults with Down syndrome, sex does not modify the age at diagnosis of dementia or the trajectories of plasma, CSF and imaging biomarkers. Reporting of negative results is important to avoid publication bias.

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