Cortical Tau Aggregation Patterns Associated With Apraxia in Patients With Alzheimer Disease
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Apraxia is a frequently observed symptom in Alzheimer disease (AD), but the causal pathomechanism underlying this dysfunction is not well understood. Previous studies have demonstrated associations between various cognitive dysfunctions in AD and cortical tau deposition in specific brain areas, suggesting a causal relationship. Thus, we hypothesized that specific regional patterns of tau pathology in praxis-related brain regions may be associated with apraxic deficits in AD. For this purpose, we performed PET imaging with the second-generation tau-PET tracer [18F]PI-2620 in a well-defined group of patients with AD (N = 33) who had been systematically assessed for apraxia. METHODS: -score deviation maps and submitted these maps to a voxel-based multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: ; N = 54). We identified a significant correlation between circumscribed clusters of tau aggregation in praxis-related brain regions (including parietal (angular gyrus), temporal, and occipital regions) and severity of apraxia in patients with AD. By contrast, no significant correlations between tau tracer uptake in primary motor cortex or subcortical brain regions and apraxia were observed. DISCUSSION: These results suggest that tau deposition in specific cortical praxis-related brain regions may induce local neuronal dysfunction leading to a dose-dependent functional decline in praxis performance in AD. The awareness of this relationship could further refine a differentiated individual diagnostic characterization and classification of patients with AD.
Source: Neurology
Authors: Gérard N. Bischof, Elena Jaeger, Kathrin Giehl, Frank Jessen, Oezguer A. Onur, Sid O'Bryant, Esra Kara, Peter H. Weiss, Alexander Drzezga
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4404946459