Individuals with Alzheimer's disease and low tau burden: Characteristics and implications

Landau, Susan M.; Lee, JiaQie; Murphy, Alice; Ward, Tyler J.; Harrison, Theresa M.; Baker, Suzanne L.; DeCarli, Charles; Harvey, Danielle; Tosun, Duygu; Weiner, Michael W.; Koeppe, Robert A.; Jagust, William J.

doi:10.1002/alz.13609

Individuals with Alzheimer's disease and low tau burden: Characteristics and implications

Journal Article · Fri Jan 19 00:00:00 EST 2024 · Alzheimer's & Dementia

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.13609· OSTI ID:2470945

Landau, Susan M. ^[1]; Lee, JiaQie ^[1]; Murphy, Alice ^[1]; Ward, Tyler J. ^[1]; Harrison, Theresa M. ^[1]; Baker, Suzanne L. ^[2]; DeCarli, Charles ^[3]; Harvey, Danielle ^[3]; Tosun, Duygu ^[4]; Weiner, Michael W. ^[5]; Koeppe, Robert A. ^[6]; Jagust, William J. ^[7]

University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA (United States)
University of California, San Francisco, CA (United States)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, San Francisco, California (United States). Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE), Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases; University of California, San Francisco, CA (United States)
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Abnormal amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau deposition define Alzheimer's Disease (AD), but non-elevated tau is relatively frequent in patients on the AD pathway. We examined characteristics and regional patterns of 397 Aβ+ unimpaired and impaired individuals with low tau (A+T-) in relation to their higher tau counterparts (A+T+). Seventy-one percent of Aβ+ unimpaired and 42% of impaired Aβ+ individuals were categorized as A+T- based on global tau. In impaired individuals only, A+T- status was associated with older age, male sex, and greater cardiovascular risk. α-synuclein was linked to poorer cognition, particularly when tau was low. Tau burden was most frequently elevated in a common set of temporal regions regardless of T+/T- status. Low tau is relatively common in patients on the AD pathway and is linked to comorbidities that contribute to impairment. These findings have implications for the selection of individuals for Aβ- and tau-modifying therapies.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Institutes of Health (NIH); USDOE

Contributing Organization:: Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 2470945

Journal Information:: Alzheimer's & Dementia, Journal Name: Alzheimer's & Dementia Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 20; ISSN 1552-5260

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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