Research

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October 23, 2024
Alzheimer's
Research
Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Lewy Body disease, often present increasing co-pathologies with time and disease progression. In AD patients, amyloid plaques, tau tangles, and alpha-synuclein aggregates (Lewy bodies, LBs) are commonly found in brain tissue at autopsy, suggesting overlap - or "cross-talk' - between and among these pathogenic entities that ultimately lead to synaptic death and cognitive impairment. Dr Tosun and colleagues recently tested cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort and found that 22% contained pathogenic forms of LBs. The prevalence of LBs was found to increase with disease stage and age, and was associated with greater cognitive decline and earlier symptom onset. LB prevalence and its associations with AD biomarkers have been published in two separate articles this year, one with cross-sectional data and the other with longitudinal data from the ADNI.