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Cullinane PW, Wrigley S, Bezerra Parmera J, Valerio F, Millner TO, Shaw K, De Pablo-Fernandez E, Warner TT, Jaunmuktane Z. Pathology of neurodegenerative disease for the general neurologist. Pract Neurol 2024; 24:188-199. [PMID: 38124186 DOI: 10.1136/pn-2023-003988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Neurodegeneration refers to progressive dysfunction or loss of selectively vulnerable neurones from brain and spinal cord regions. Despite important advances in fluid and imaging biomarkers, the definitive diagnosis of most neurodegenerative diseases still relies on neuropathological examination. Not only has careful clinicopathological correlation shaped current clinical diagnostic criteria and informed our understanding of the natural history of neurodegenerative diseases, but it has also identified conditions with important public health implications, including variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, iatrogenic amyloid-β and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Neuropathological examination may also point to previously unsuspected genetic diagnoses with potential implications for living relatives. Moreover, detailed neuropathological assessment is crucial for research studies that rely on curated postmortem tissue to investigate the molecular mechanisms responsible for neurodegeneration and for biomarker discovery and validation. This review aims to elucidate the hallmark pathological features of neurodegenerative diseases commonly seen in general neurology clinics, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease; rare but well-known diseases, including progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration and multiple system atrophy and more recently described entities such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy and age-related tau astrogliopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick W Cullinane
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Sarah Wrigley
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Jacy Bezerra Parmera
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Department of Neurology, Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Valerio
- Division of Neuropathology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Thomas O Millner
- Division of Neuropathology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Karen Shaw
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Eduardo De Pablo-Fernandez
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Thomas T Warner
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Zane Jaunmuktane
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Division of Neuropathology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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2
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Vourkou E, Rouiz Ortega ED, Mahajan S, Mudher A, Skoulakis EMC. Human Tau Aggregates Are Permissive to Protein Synthesis-Dependent Memory in Drosophila Tauopathy Models. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2988-3006. [PMID: 36868851 PMCID: PMC10124960 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1374-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease, are characterized by progressive cognitive decline, neurodegeneration, and intraneuronal aggregates comprised largely of the axonal protein Tau. It has been unclear whether cognitive deficits are a consequence of aggregate accumulation thought to compromise neuronal health and eventually lead to neurodegeneration. We use the Drosophila tauopathy model and mixed-sex populations to reveal an adult onset pan-neuronal Tau accumulation-dependent decline in learning efficacy and a specific defect in protein synthesis-dependent memory (PSD-M), but not in its protein synthesis-independent variant. We demonstrate that these neuroplasticity defects are reversible on suppression of new transgenic human Tau expression and surprisingly correlate with an increase in Tau aggregates. Inhibition of aggregate formation via acute oral administration of methylene blue results in re-emergence of deficient memory in animals with suppressed human Tau (hTau)0N4R expression. Significantly, aggregate inhibition results in PSD-M deficits in hTau0N3R-expressing animals, which present elevated aggregates and normal memory if untreated with methylene blue. Moreover, methylene blue-dependent hTau0N4R aggregate suppression within adult mushroom body neurons also resulted in emergence of memory deficits. Therefore, deficient PSD-M on human Tau expression in the Drosophila CNS is not a consequence of toxicity and neuronal loss because it is reversible. Furthermore, PSD-M deficits do not result from aggregate accumulation, which appears permissive, if not protective of processes underlying this memory variant.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Intraneuronal Tau aggregate accumulation has been proposed to underlie the cognitive decline and eventual neurotoxicity that characterizes the neurodegenerative dementias known as tauopathies. However, we show in three experimental settings that Tau aggregates in the Drosophila CNS do not impair but rather appear to facilitate processes underlying protein synthesis-dependent memory within affected neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ergina Vourkou
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre Alexander Fleming, 16672 Vari, Greece
| | - Eva D Rouiz Ortega
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Sumeet Mahajan
- School of Chemistry, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Amrit Mudher
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Efthimios M C Skoulakis
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre Alexander Fleming, 16672 Vari, Greece
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3
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Zhang Y, Wu KM, Yang L, Dong Q, Yu JT. Tauopathies: new perspectives and challenges. Mol Neurodegener 2022; 17:28. [PMID: 35392986 PMCID: PMC8991707 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-022-00533-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tauopathies are a class of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by neuronal and/or glial tau-positive inclusions. MAIN BODY Clinically, tauopathies can present with a range of phenotypes that include cognitive/behavioral-disorders, movement disorders, language disorders and non-specific amnestic symptoms in advanced age. Pathologically, tauopathies can be classified based on the predominant tau isoforms that are present in the inclusion bodies (i.e., 3R, 4R or equal 3R:4R ratio). Imaging, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood-based tau biomarkers have the potential to be used as a routine diagnostic strategy and in the evaluation of patients with tauopathies. As tauopathies are strongly linked neuropathologically and genetically to tau protein abnormalities, there is a growing interest in pursuing of tau-directed therapeutics for the disorders. Here we synthesize emerging lessons on tauopathies from clinical, pathological, genetic, and experimental studies toward a unified concept of these disorders that may accelerate the therapeutics. CONCLUSIONS Since tauopathies are still untreatable diseases, efforts have been made to depict clinical and pathological characteristics, identify biomarkers, elucidate underlying pathogenesis to achieve early diagnosis and develop disease-modifying therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, 12th Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai, 200040 China
| | - Kai-Min Wu
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, 12th Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai, 200040 China
| | - Liu Yang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, 12th Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai, 200040 China
| | - Qiang Dong
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, 12th Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai, 200040 China
| | - Jin-Tai Yu
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, 12th Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai, 200040 China
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4
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Walker JM, Richardson TE, Farrell K, Iida MA, Foong C, Shang P, Attems J, Ayalon G, Beach TG, Bigio EH, Budson A, Cairns NJ, Corrada M, Cortes E, Dickson DW, Fischer P, Flanagan ME, Franklin E, Gearing M, Glass J, Hansen LA, Haroutunian V, Hof PR, Honig L, Kawas C, Keene CD, Kofler J, Kovacs GG, Lee EB, Lutz MI, Mao Q, Masliah E, McKee AC, McMillan CT, Mesulam MM, Murray M, Nelson PT, Perrin R, Pham T, Poon W, Purohit DP, Rissman RA, Sakai K, Sano M, Schneider JA, Stein TD, Teich AF, Trojanowski JQ, Troncoso JC, Vonsattel JP, Weintraub S, Wolk DA, Woltjer RL, Yamada M, Yu L, White CL, Crary JF. Early Selective Vulnerability of the CA2 Hippocampal Subfield in Primary Age-Related Tauopathy. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2021; 80:102-111. [PMID: 33367843 PMCID: PMC8453611 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlaa153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary age-related tauopathy (PART) is a neurodegenerative entity defined as Alzheimer-type neurofibrillary degeneration primarily affecting the medial temporal lobe with minimal to absent amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque deposition. The extent to which PART can be differentiated pathoanatomically from Alzheimer disease (AD) is unclear. Here, we examined the regional distribution of tau pathology in a large cohort of postmortem brains (n = 914). We found an early vulnerability of the CA2 subregion of the hippocampus to neurofibrillary degeneration in PART, and semiquantitative assessment of neurofibrillary degeneration in CA2 was significantly greater than in CA1 in PART. In contrast, subjects harboring intermediate-to-high AD neuropathologic change (ADNC) displayed relative sparing of CA2 until later stages of their disease course. In addition, the CA2/CA1 ratio of neurofibrillary degeneration in PART was significantly higher than in subjects with intermediate-to-high ADNC burden. Furthermore, the distribution of tau pathology in PART diverges from the Braak NFT staging system and Braak stage does not correlate with cognitive function in PART as it does in individuals with intermediate-to-high ADNC. These findings highlight the need for a better understanding of the contribution of PART to cognitive impairment and how neurofibrillary degeneration interacts with Aβ pathology in AD and PART.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie M Walker
- From the Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Timothy E Richardson
- From the Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Kurt Farrell
- Department of Pathology and Nash Family Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Neuropathology Brain Bank & Research Core, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Megan A Iida
- Department of Pathology and Nash Family Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Neuropathology Brain Bank & Research Core, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Chan Foong
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Ping Shang
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Johannes Attems
- Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Gai Ayalon
- Department of Neuroscience, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Thomas G Beach
- Neuropathology, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, Arizona, USA
| | - Eileen H Bigio
- Department of Pathology, Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Andrew Budson
- Department of Pathology, VA Medical Center & Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nigel J Cairns
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - María Corrada
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, UC Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Etty Cortes
- Department of Pathology and Nash Family Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dennis W Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Peter Fischer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network, and Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Margaret E Flanagan
- Department of Pathology, Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Erin Franklin
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Marla Gearing
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jonathan Glass
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Lawrence A Hansen
- Departments of Neurosciences and Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Vahram Haroutunian
- Department of Psychiatry and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Department of Pathology and Nash Family Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Neuropathology Brain Bank & Research Core, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lawrence Honig
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Claudia Kawas
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, UC Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - C Dirk Keene
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Julia Kofler
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Gabor G Kovacs
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network, and Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Edward B Lee
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Mirjam I Lutz
- Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Qinwen Mao
- Neuropathology, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, Arizona, USA
| | - Eliezer Masliah
- Departments of Neurosciences and Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Ann C McKee
- Department of Pathology, VA Medical Center & Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Corey T McMillan
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - M Marsel Mesulam
- Department of Pathology, Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Melissa Murray
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Peter T Nelson
- Department of Pathology and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Richard Perrin
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Thao Pham
- Department of Pathology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Wayne Poon
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, UC Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Dushyant P Purohit
- Department of Pathology and Nash Family Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Robert A Rissman
- Departments of Neurosciences and Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Kenji Sakai
- Department of Neurology and Neurobiology of Aging, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Mary Sano
- Department of Psychiatry and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Julie A Schneider
- Departments of Pathology and Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Thor D Stein
- Department of Pathology, VA Medical Center & Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew F Teich
- Department of Pathology & Cell Biology and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - John Q Trojanowski
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Juan C Troncoso
- Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jean-Paul Vonsattel
- Department of Pathology & Cell Biology and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sandra Weintraub
- Department of Pathology, Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - David A Wolk
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Randall L Woltjer
- Department of Pathology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Masahito Yamada
- Department of Neurology and Neurobiology of Aging, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Lei Yu
- Departments of Pathology and Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Charles L White
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - John F Crary
- Department of Pathology and Nash Family Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Neuropathology Brain Bank & Research Core, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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5
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Shi YB, Tu T, Jiang J, Zhang QL, Ai JQ, Pan A, Manavis J, Tu E, Yan XX. Early Dendritic Dystrophy in Human Brains With Primary Age-Related Tauopathy. Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12:596894. [PMID: 33364934 PMCID: PMC7750631 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.596894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Dystrophic neurites (DNs) are found in many neurological conditions such as traumatic brain injury and age-related neurodegenerative diseases. In Alzheimer's disease (AD) specifically, senile plaques containing silver-stained DNs were already described in the original literature defining this disease. These DNs could be both axonal and dendritic in origin, while axonal dystrophy relative to plaque formation has been more extensively studied. Here, we demonstrate an early occurrence of dendritic dystrophy in the hippocampal CA1 and subicular regions in human brains (n = 23) with primary age-related tauopathy (PART), with neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) burden ranging from Braak stages I to III in the absence of cerebral β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition. In Bielschowsky's silver stain, segmented fusiform swellings on the apical dendrites of hippocampal and subicular pyramidal neurons were observed in all the cases, primarily over the stratum radiatum (s.r.). The numbers of silver-stained neuronal somata and dendritic swellings counted over CA1 to subiculum were positively correlated among the cases. Swollen dendritic processes were also detected in sections immunolabeled for phosphorylated tau (pTau) and sortilin. In aged and AD brains with both Aβ and pTau pathologies, silver- and immunolabeled dystrophic-like dendritic profiles occurred around and within individual neuritic plaques. These findings implicate that dendritic dystrophy can occur among hippocampal pyramidal neurons in human brains with PART. Therefore, as with the case of axonal dystrophy reported in literature, dendritic dystrophy can develop prior to Alzheimer-type plaque and tangle formation in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Bin Shi
- Medical Doctor Program, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Tian Tu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Juan Jiang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Qi-Lei Zhang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jia-Qi Ai
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Aihua Pan
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jim Manavis
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Ewen Tu
- Department of Neurology, Brain Hospital of Hunan Province, Changsha, China
| | - Xiao-Xin Yan
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
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6
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Chen YH, Tao QQ. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Primary Age-Related Tauopathy. Ann Neurol 2020; 88:1052. [PMID: 32740971 DOI: 10.1002/ana.25860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yi-He Chen
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qing-Qing Tao
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
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7
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Ferrer I, Andrés-Benito P, Sala-Jarque J, Gil V, Del Rio JA. Capacity for Seeding and Spreading of Argyrophilic Grain Disease in a Wild-Type Murine Model; Comparisons With Primary Age-Related Tauopathy. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:101. [PMID: 32670019 PMCID: PMC7326954 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Argyrophilic grain disease (AGD) is a common 4R-tauopathy, causing or contributing to cognitive impairment in the elderly. AGD is characterized neuropathologically by pre-tangles in neurons, dendritic swellings called grains, threads, thorn-shaped astrocytes, and coiled bodies in oligodendrocytes in the limbic system. AGD has a characteristic pattern progressively involving the entorhinal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, dentate gyrus, presubiculum, subiculum, hypothalamic nuclei, temporal cortex, and neocortex and brainstem, thus suggesting that argyrophilic grain pathology is a natural model of tau propagation. One series of WT mice was unilaterally inoculated in the hippocampus with sarkosyl-insoluble and sarkosyl-soluble fractions from “pure” AGD at the age of 3 or 7/12 months and killed 3 or 7 months later. Abnormal hyper-phosphorylated tau deposits were found in ipsilateral hippocampal neurons, grains (dots) in the hippocampus, and threads, dots and coiled bodies in the fimbria, as well as the ipsilateral and contralateral corpus callosum. The extension of lesions was wider in animals surviving 7 months compared with those surviving 3 months. Astrocytic inclusions were not observed at any time. Tau deposits were mainly composed of 4Rtau, but also 3Rtau. For comparative purposes, another series of WT mice was inoculated with sarkosyl-insoluble fractions from primary age-related tauopathy (PART), a pure neuronal neurofibrillary tangle 3Rtau + 4Rtau tauopathy involving the deep temporal cortex and limbic system. Abnormal hyper-phosphorylated tau deposits were found in neurons in the ipsilateral hippocampus, coiled bodies and threads in the fimbria, and the ipsilateral and contralateral corpus callosum, which extended with time along the anterior-posterior axis and distant regions such as hypothalamic nuclei and nuclei of the septum when comparing mice surviving 7 months with mice surviving 3 months. Astrocytic inclusions were not observed. Tau deposits were mainly composed of 4Rtau and 3Rtau. These results show the capacity for seeding and spreading of AGD tau and PART tau in the brain of WT mouse, and suggest that characteristics of host tau, in addition to those of inoculated tau, are key to identifying commonalities and differences between human tauopathies and corresponding murine models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isidro Ferrer
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Bellvitge University Hospital, IDIBELL (Bellvitge Biomedical Research Centre), Barcelona, Spain.,CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Madrid, Spain.,Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pol Andrés-Benito
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Bellvitge University Hospital, IDIBELL (Bellvitge Biomedical Research Centre), Barcelona, Spain.,CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Madrid, Spain
| | - Julia Sala-Jarque
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Institute for Science and Technology, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vanessa Gil
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Antonio Del Rio
- CIBERNED (Network Centre of Biomedical Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases), Institute of Health Carlos III, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Madrid, Spain.,Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology, Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Institute for Science and Technology, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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8
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Teylan M, Mock C, Gauthreaux K, Chen YC, Chan KCG, Hassenstab J, Besser LM, Kukull WA, Crary JF. Cognitive trajectory in mild cognitive impairment due to primary age-related tauopathy. Brain 2020; 143:611-621. [PMID: 31942622 PMCID: PMC7009602 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awz403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary age-related tauopathy is increasingly recognized as a separate neuropathological entity different from Alzheimer's disease. Both share the neuropathological features of tau aggregates and neuronal loss in the temporal lobe, but primary age-related tauopathy lacks the requisite amyloid plaques central to Alzheimer's disease. While both have similar clinical presentations, individuals with symptomatic primary age-related tauopathy are commonly of more advanced ages with milder cognitive dysfunction. Direct comparison of the neuropsychological trajectories of primary age-related tauopathy and Alzheimer's disease has not been thoroughly evaluated and thus, our objective was to determine how cognitive decline differs longitudinally between these two conditions after the onset of clinical symptoms. Data were obtained from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center on participants with mild cognitive impairment at baseline and either no neuritic plaques (i.e. primary age-related tauopathy) or moderate to frequent neuritic plaques (i.e. Alzheimer neuropathological change) at subsequent autopsy. For patients with Alzheimer's disease and primary age-related tauopathy, we compared rates of decline in the sum of boxes score from the CDR® Dementia Staging Instrument and in five cognitive domains (episodic memory, attention/working memory, executive function, language/semantic memory, and global composite) using z-scores for neuropsychological tests that were calculated based on scores for participants with normal cognition. The differences in rates of change were tested using linear mixed-effects models accounting for clinical centre clustering and repeated measures by individual. Models were adjusted for sex, age, education, baseline test score, Braak stage, apolipoprotein ε4 (APOE ε4) carrier status, family history of cognitive impairment, and history of stroke, hypertension, or diabetes. We identified 578 participants with a global CDR of 0.5 (i.e. mild cognitive impairment) at baseline, 126 with primary age-related tauopathy and 452 with Alzheimer's disease. Examining the difference in rates of change in CDR sum of boxes and in all domain scores, participants with Alzheimer's disease had a significantly steeper decline after becoming clinically symptomatic than those with primary age-related tauopathy. This remained true after adjusting for covariates. The results of this analysis corroborate previous studies showing that primary age-related tauopathy has slower cognitive decline than Alzheimer's disease across multiple neuropsychological domains, thus adding to the understanding of the neuropsychological burden in primary age-related tauopathy. The study provides further evidence to support the hypothesis that primary age-related tauopathy has distinct neuropathological and clinical features compared to Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merilee Teylan
- National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Charles Mock
- National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kathryn Gauthreaux
- National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Yen-Chi Chen
- National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kwun C G Chan
- National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jason Hassenstab
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Lilah M Besser
- School of Urban and Regional Planning, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Walter A Kukull
- National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - John F Crary
- Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, Department of Pathology, Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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