Dr. Guo’s aims to investigate the pathological features and evolutionary patterns of AD, especially during the asymptomatic stage of AD. Our main research interests are as follows: 1) early diagnosis of AD using PET imaging, and biofluid markers; 2) validation of clinical research findings using AD brain organoids and AD rodents; 3) novel AD theragnostic techniques development such as ultrasound stimulation and imaging-based in-vitro assay techniques. Using such biomarkers detection, multimodal molecular imaging, and biochemical methods, we are engaged in exploring novel approaches of early diagnosis and intervention of AD. The ultimate goal is to detect this disease as early as possible and provide novel insights into the early diagnosis and prevention of AD.

Dr. Guo has been using PET imaging and CSF biomarkers to investigate: 1)the spatial pattern of Aβ accumulation over the spectrum of AD; 2) the early detection of abnormal Aβ deposition in cognitively healthy elderly adults; 3) the abnormal sequence of CSF biomarkers and PET imaging in AD; and 4) the temporal dynamics of Aβ, tau and neurodegeneration, and their relation to subsequent cognitive decline in early and moderate stages of AD. These works have been published in top-ranked journals in the field of neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2018, 2022)、Biological Psychiatry (2021)、Annals of Neurology (2022)、Neurology (2020a, 2020b)、Journal of Nuclear Medicine (2017)、Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy (2020, 2021)、Translational Psychiatry (2022) with Dr. Guo as the first author or unique corresponding author. These findings provide important insights for understanding the temporal dynamics of Aβ, tau, and neurodegeneration biomarkers as well as how they interact to produce cognitive decline in AD, and also how tKey finding one: Spatiotemporal patterns of Aβ plaques and tau tangles in differet stages of AD.o detect abnormal brain changes of AD as early as possible. 

Key finding one: Spatiotemporal patterns of Aβ plaques and tau tangles in differet stages of AD.

Key finding two: Longitudinal Cognitive and Biomarker Measurements Support a Unidirectional Pathway in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathophysiology.

Key finding two: An approximative order of different CSF and imaging biomarkers in the AD continuum.

Representative papers:

Guoyu Lan, Xuhui Chen, Jie Yang, Pan Sun, Yue Cai, Anqi Li, Yalin Zhu, Zhen Liu, Shaohua Ma, Tengfei Guo*. “Microglial reactivity correlates to presynaptic loss independent of β-amyloid and tau”. Annals of Neurology, 2024, DOI: 10.1002/ana.26885 (独立通讯作者).

Yue Cai, Dai Shi, Guoyu Lan, Linting Chen, Yanni Jiang, Liemin Zhou, Tengfei Guo*. “Association of β-amyloid, microglial activation, cortical thickness, and metabolism in older adults without dementia”, Neurology, 2024, DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000209205 (独立通讯作者).

Jing Du, Anqi Li, Dai Shi, Xuhui Chen, Qingyong Wang, Zhen Liu, Kun Sun, Tengfei Guo*. “Association of APOE4, osteoarthritis, β-amyloid, and tau accumulation in primary motor and somatosensory regions in Alzheimer’s Disease”, Neurology, 2023, 101(1): e40-e49 (独立通讯作者).

Guoyu Lan, Anqi Li, Zhen Liu, Shaohua Ma, Tengfei Guo*. “Presynaptic membrane protein dysfunction occurs prior to neurodegeneration and predicts faster cognitive decline”, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 2023, 19 (6): 2408-2419 (独立通讯作者).