Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Local and distant relationships between amyloid, tau and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's Disease

Journal Article · · NeuroImage: Clinical
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [4];  [2];  [5];  [6];  [2];  [2];  [4];  [7];  [2];  [5];  [3];  [8]
  1. Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States). Sandler Neurosciences Center. Memory and Aging Center; Vita-Salute San Raffaele Univ., Milan (Italy); IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Inst., Milan (Italy). Division of Neuroscience. In Vivo Human Molecular and Structural Neuroimaging Unit; DOE/OSTI
  2. Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States). Sandler Neurosciences Center. Memory and Aging Center
  3. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Helen Wills Neuroscience Inst.; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Life Sciences Division
  4. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Life Sciences Division
  5. Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States). Sandler Neurosciences Center. Memory and Aging Center; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Helen Wills Neuroscience Inst.
  6. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Helen Wills Neuroscience Inst.
  7. Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States). Sandler Neurosciences Center. Memory and Aging Center; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Helen Wills Neuroscience Inst.; VU Univ. Medical Center, Amsterdam (The Netherlands). Dept. of Neurology and Alzheimer Center
  8. Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States). Sandler Neurosciences Center. Memory and Aging Center; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Helen Wills Neuroscience Inst.; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Life Sciences Division

The relationships between β-amyloid (Aβ), tau and neurodegeneration within Alzheimer's Disease pathogenesis are not fully understood. To explore these associations in vivo, we evaluated 30 Aβ PET-positive patients (mean ± sd age 62.4 ± 8.3) with mild probable AD and 12 Aβ PET-negative healthy controls (HC) (mean ± sd age 77.3 ± 6.9) as comparison. All participants underwent 3 T MRI, 11C-PiB (Aβ) PET and 18FAV1451 (tau) PET. Multimodal correlation analyses were run at both voxel- and region-of-interest levels. 11C-PiB retention in AD showed the most diffuse uptake pattern throughout association neocortex, whereas 18F-AV1451 and gray matter volume reduction (GMR) showed a progressive predilection for posterior cortices (p < 0.05 Family-Wise Error-[FWE]-corrected). Voxel-level analysis identified negative correlations between 18F-AV1451 and gray matter peaking in medial and infero-occipital regions (p < 0.01 False Discovery Rate-[FDR]-corrected). 18F-AV1451 and 11C-PiB were positively correlated in right parietal and medial/inferior occipital regions (p < 0.001 uncorrected). 11C-PiB did not correlate with GMR at the voxel-level. Regionally, 18F-AV1451 was largely associated with local/adjacent GMR whereas frontal 11C-PiB correlated with GMR in posterior regions. These findings suggest that, in mild AD, tau aggregation drives local neurodegeneration, whereas the relationships between Aβ and neurodegeneration are not region specific and may be mediated by the interaction between Aβ and tau.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1623707
Journal Information:
NeuroImage: Clinical, Journal Name: NeuroImage: Clinical Journal Issue: C Vol. 17; ISSN 2213-1582
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (103)

Prevalence of Cerebral Amyloid Pathology in Persons Without Dementia: A Meta-analysis journal May 2015
Tau and Cortical Thickness in Alzheimer Disease journal April 2017
Impact of tau and amyloid burden on glucose metabolism in Alzheimer's disease journal October 2016
Neuropathological stageing of Alzheimer-related changes journal September 1991
Imaging in-vivo tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease with THK5317 PET in a multimodal paradigm journal March 2016
National Institute on Aging–Alzheimer’s Association guidelines for the neuropathologic assessment of Alzheimer’s disease: a practical approach journal November 2011
Heterotypic seeding of Tau fibrillization by pre-aggregated Abeta provides potent seeds for prion-like seeding and propagation of Tau-pathology in vivo journal January 2016
Advances in the development of tau PET radiotracers and their clinical applications journal September 2016
Tau-PET uptake: Regional variation in average SUVR and impact of amyloid deposition journal January 2017
The diagnosis of dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease: Recommendations from the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association workgroups on diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer's disease journal May 2011
National Institute on Aging–Alzheimer's Association guidelines for the neuropathologic assessment of Alzheimer's disease journal January 2012
Tau immunotherapy for Alzheimer's disease journal June 2015
An automated labeling system for subdividing the human cerebral cortex on MRI scans into gyral based regions of interest journal July 2006
Biological parametric mapping: A statistical toolbox for multimodality brain image analysis journal January 2007
Amyloid and tau PET demonstrate region-specific associations in normal older people journal April 2017
Defining Neurocognitive Networks in the BOLD New World of Computed Connectivity journal April 2009
Predicting Regional Neurodegeneration from the Healthy Brain Functional Connectome journal March 2012
Disintegrating Brain Networks: from Syndromes to Molecular Nexopathies journal March 2012
Anti-Tau Antibodies that Block Tau Aggregate Seeding In Vitro Markedly Decrease Pathology and Improve Cognition In Vivo journal October 2013
Biomarker Modeling of Alzheimer’s Disease journal December 2013
The Intersection of Amyloid Beta and Tau at Synapses in Alzheimer’s Disease journal May 2014
PET Imaging of Tau Deposition in the Aging Human Brain journal March 2016
Parallel ICA of FDG-PET and PiB-PET in three conditions with underlying Alzheimer's pathology journal January 2014
Biomarkers for Alzheimer's: the sequel of an original model journal February 2013
Tau imaging: early progress and future directions journal January 2015
Measurement of Radiotracer Concentration in Brain Gray Matter Using Positron Emission Tomography: MRI-Based Correction for Partial Volume Effects journal July 1992
Three dimensions of the amyloid hypothesis: time, space and 'wingmen' journal May 2015
Tau in physiology and pathology journal December 2015
Amyloid-β and tau — a toxic pas de deux in Alzheimer's disease journal December 2010
The paradox of syndromic diversity in Alzheimer disease journal July 2012
Spatial correlation between brain aerobic glycolysis and amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition journal September 2010
Glucose metabolism in early onset versus late onset Alzheimer's disease: an SPM analysis of 120 patients journal May 2005
Increased metabolic vulnerability in early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is not related to amyloid burden journal January 2010
Amyloid burden and metabolic function in early-onset Alzheimer's disease: parietal lobe involvement journal May 2012
Diverging patterns of amyloid deposition and hypometabolism in clinical variants of probable Alzheimer’s disease journal January 2013
Clinicopathologic and 11 C-Pittsburgh compound B implications of Thal amyloid phase across the Alzheimer’s disease spectrum journal March 2015
Existing Pittsburgh Compound-B positron emission tomography thresholds are too high: statistical and pathological evaluation journal May 2015
Regional brain hypometabolism is unrelated to regional amyloid plaque burden journal September 2015
Tau PET patterns mirror clinical and neuroanatomical variability in Alzheimer’s disease journal March 2016
Distinct tau PET imaging patterns in typical and atypical Alzheimer’s disease journal April 2016
Relationships between flortaucipir PET tau binding and amyloid burden, clinical diagnosis, age and cognition journal January 2017
Distribution Volume Ratios without Blood Sampling from Graphical Analysis of PET Data journal September 1996
Correlation of Alzheimer Disease Neuropathologic Changes With Cognitive Status: A Review of the Literature journal May 2012
Tau and Aβ imaging, CSF measures, and cognition in Alzheimer’s disease journal May 2016
Selective vulnerability in neurodegeneration: insights from clinical variants of Alzheimer's disease journal January 2016
Tau PET in Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment journal June 2016
Regional rates of neocortical atrophy from normal aging to early Alzheimer disease journal August 2009
 -Amyloid burden in the temporal neocortex is related to hippocampal atrophy in elderly subjects without dementia journal January 2010
Classification of primary progressive aphasia and its variants journal February 2011
Early-onset Alzheimer disease clinical variants: Multivariate analyses of cortical thickness journal June 2012
In Vivo Tau, Amyloid, and Gray Matter Profiles in the Aging Brain journal July 2016
Region-Specific Hierarchy between Atrophy, Hypometabolism, and  -Amyloid (A ) Load in Alzheimer's Disease Dementia journal November 2012
Molecular, Structural, and Functional Characterization of Alzheimer's Disease: Evidence for a Relationship between Default Activity, Amyloid, and Memory journal August 2005
Basal Cerebral Metabolism May Modulate the Cognitive Effects of A  in Mild Cognitive Impairment: An Example of Brain Reserve journal November 2009
Cortical Hubs Revealed by Intrinsic Functional Connectivity: Mapping, Assessment of Stability, and Relation to Alzheimer's Disease journal February 2009
Induction of Tau Pathology by Intracerebral Infusion of Amyloid-β-Containing Brain Extract and by Amyloid-β Deposition in APP × Tau Transgenic Mice journal December 2007
Prefrontal Hypometabolism in Alzheimer Disease Is Related to Longitudinal Amyloid Accumulation in Remote Brain Regions journal February 2015
In vivo Patterns of Tau Pathology, Amyloid-β Burden, and Neuronal Dysfunction in Clinical Variants of Alzheimer’s Disease journal November 2016
ppcor: An R Package for a Fast Calculation to Semi-partial Correlation Coefficients journal November 2015
Advancing research diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease: the IWG-2 criteria text January 2014
Association of In Vivo [ 18 F]AV-1451 Tau PET Imaging Results With Cortical Atrophy and Symptoms in Typical and Atypical Alzheimer Disease journal April 2017
Relationship between atrophy and β-amyloid deposition in Alzheimer's disease journal January 2009
Tau, amyloid, and hypometabolism in a patient with posterior cortical atrophy: Tau, Aβ, Hypometabolism in PCA journal December 2014
Tau positron emission tomographic imaging in aging and early Alzheimer disease: Tau PET in Aging and Early AD journal December 2015
In vivo cortical spreading pattern of tau and amyloid in the Alzheimer disease spectrum: Tau and Amyloid in AD journal July 2016
Atrophy patterns in early clinical stages across distinct phenotypes of Alzheimer's disease: Origin and Spread of Atrophy in AD Variants journal August 2015
Neuropathological stageing of Alzheimer-related changes journal September 1991
Staging of Alzheimer disease-associated neurofibrillary pathology using paraffin sections and immunocytochemistry journal August 2006
PART is part of Alzheimer disease journal January 2015
Tracking pathophysiological processes in Alzheimer's disease: an updated hypothetical model of dynamic biomarkers journal February 2013
Advancing research diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease: the IWG-2 criteria journal June 2014
Tau imaging: early progress and future directions journal January 2015
Biological parametric mapping with robust and non-parametric statistics journal July 2011
Neurodegenerative Diseases Target Large-Scale Human Brain Networks journal April 2009
The Evolution of Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease: Implications for Prevention Trials journal November 2014
The antibody aducanumab reduces Aβ plaques in Alzheimer’s disease journal August 2016
The case for rejecting the amyloid cascade hypothesis journal May 2015
Spreading of pathology in neurodegenerative diseases: a focus on human studies journal January 2015
Deciphering the mechanism underlying late-onset Alzheimer disease journal November 2012
Aβ-independent processes—rethinking preclinical AD journal February 2013
Alzheimer disease therapy—moving from amyloid-β to tau journal November 2013
Two Phase 3 Trials of Bapineuzumab in Mild-to-Moderate Alzheimer's Disease journal January 2014
Phase 3 Trials of Solanezumab for Mild-to-Moderate Alzheimer's Disease journal January 2014
Alzheimer's Disease journal January 2010
Is amyloid-β harmful to the brain? Insights from human imaging studies journal November 2015
Correlation of Alzheimer Disease Neuropathologic Changes With Cognitive Status: A Review of the Literature journal May 2012
Alzheimer's disease: the amyloid cascade hypothesis journal April 1992
Posterior Cortical Atrophy: Clinical Characteristics and Differences Compared to Alzheimer’s Disease journal January 2002
An autoradiographic evaluation of AV-1451 Tau PET in dementia journal June 2016
Association of hypometabolism and amyloid levels in aging, normal subjects journal May 2014
Tau PET in Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment journal June 2016
Regional rates of neocortical atrophy from normal aging to early Alzheimer disease journal August 2009
 -Amyloid burden in the temporal neocortex is related to hippocampal atrophy in elderly subjects without dementia journal January 2010
Classification of primary progressive aphasia and its variants journal February 2011
Early-onset Alzheimer disease clinical variants: Multivariate analyses of cortical thickness journal June 2012
In Vivo Tau, Amyloid, and Gray Matter Profiles in the Aging Brain journal July 2016
Region-Specific Hierarchy between Atrophy, Hypometabolism, and  -Amyloid (A ) Load in Alzheimer's Disease Dementia journal November 2012
Molecular, Structural, and Functional Characterization of Alzheimer's Disease: Evidence for a Relationship between Default Activity, Amyloid, and Memory journal August 2005
Basal Cerebral Metabolism May Modulate the Cognitive Effects of A  in Mild Cognitive Impairment: An Example of Brain Reserve journal November 2009
Cortical Hubs Revealed by Intrinsic Functional Connectivity: Mapping, Assessment of Stability, and Relation to Alzheimer's Disease journal February 2009
Reference Tissue–Based Kinetic Evaluation of 18 F-AV-1451 for Tau Imaging journal September 2016
In vivo Patterns of Tau Pathology, Amyloid-β Burden, and Neuronal Dysfunction in Clinical Variants of Alzheimer’s Disease journal November 2016
An autoradiographic evaluation of AV-1451 Tau PET in dementia collection January 2016

Cited By (28)

Could Alzheimer’s Disease Originate in the Periphery and If So How So? journal April 2018
Longitudinal tau-PET uptake and atrophy in atypical Alzheimer's disease journal January 2019
Tau PET imaging in neurodegenerative tauopathies—still a challenge journal January 2019
Tau pathology in cognitively normal older adults posted_content July 2019
Disrupted core-periphery structure of multimodal brain networks in Alzheimer’s disease journal January 2019
Greater tau load and reduced cortical thickness in APOE ε4-negative Alzheimer’s disease: a cohort study journal August 2018
A walk through tau therapeutic strategies. text January 2019
The Relation Between Brain Amyloid Deposition, Cortical Atrophy, and Plasma Biomarkers in Amnesic Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease journal June 2018
Microglia in Neurological Diseases: A Road Map to Brain-Disease Dependent-Inflammatory Response journal December 2018
Synaptic Tau Seeding Precedes Tau Pathology in Human Alzheimer's Disease Brain journal April 2018
Molecular Bases of Neurodegeneration and Cognitive Decline, the Major Burden of Sanfilippo Disease journal January 2020
Regional multimodal relationships between tau, hypometabolism, atrophy, and fractional anisotropy in atypical Alzheimer's disease journal December 2018
Questions concerning the role of amyloid-β in the definition, aetiology and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease journal October 2018
Influence of hippocampal GABAB receptor inhibition on memory in rats with acute β-amyloid toxicity journal July 2018
Tau pathology in cognitively normal older adults journal December 2019
Molecular imaging in dementia: Past, present, and future journal July 2018
Imaging the evolution and pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease journal September 2018
Lifespan Changes of the Human Brain In Alzheimer’s Disease journal March 2019
Plasma tau/amyloid-β1–42 ratio predicts brain tau deposition and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease journal January 2019
Plasma tau/amyloid-β1–42 ratio predicts brain tau deposition and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease [Correction] journal February 2019
Prospective longitudinal atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease correlates with the intensity and topography of baseline tau-PET journal January 2020
Associations between quantitative [18F]flortaucipir tau PET and atrophy across the Alzheimer’s disease spectrum journal July 2019
Testing a MultiTEP-based combination vaccine to reduce Aβ and tau pathology in Tau22/5xFAD bigenic mice journal December 2019
A walk through tau therapeutic strategies journal February 2019
Key Peptides and Proteins in Alzheimer’s Disease journal May 2019
Heparan Sulfate as a Therapeutic Target in Tauopathies: Insights From Zebrafish journal December 2018
Disrupted core-periphery structure of multimodal brain networks in Alzheimer's Disease text January 2018
Differences in topological progression profile among neurodegenerative diseases from imaging data journal December 2019

Figures / Tables (9)


Similar Records

Distinct effects of beta-amyloid and tau on cortical thickness in cognitively healthy older adults
Journal Article · Mon Dec 14 23:00:00 EST 2020 · Alzheimer's & Dementia · OSTI ID:1826560

Tau accumulation and atrophy predict amyloid independent cognitive decline in aging
Journal Article · Thu Feb 08 23:00:00 EST 2024 · Alzheimer's & Dementia · OSTI ID:2470691