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Cognitive decline associated with pathological burden in primary age‐related tauopathy
Author(s) -
JeffersonGeorge Kyra S.,
Wolk David A.,
Lee Edward B.,
McMillan Corey T.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2017.01.028
Subject(s) - tauopathy , cognitive decline , context (archaeology) , pathological , psychology , cognition , neuropsychology , episodic memory , disease , neurocognitive , semantic memory , dementia , medicine , pathology , neuroscience , neurodegeneration , biology , paleontology
Primary age‐related tauopathy (PART) is a neuropathological diagnosis characterized by tau neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the absence of amyloid plaque pathology. Although most individuals over 50 years of age have evidence of NFTs, the clinical and cognitive consequences of PART are not known. Methods We evaluated 226 neuropathologically confirmed PART cases from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center database who participated in a total of 846 longitudinal neuropsychological assessments from the Alzheimer's Disease Center program's Uniform Data Set. Mixed‐effects statistical models tested whether cognitive decline was associated with Braak stage NFT burden. Results Higher stages of NFT burden in PART, with no evidence or minimal evidence of amyloid pathology, were associated with more rapid decline on tasks involving episodic and semantic memory along with tests of processing speed and attention. Discussion We conclude that PART has cognitive consequences that should be considered in the context of emerging tau‐targeted therapies in age‐associated neurodegenerative diseases.