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The role of age on tau PET uptake and gray matter atrophy in atypical Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Whitwell Jennifer L.,
Martin Peter,
GraffRadford Jonathan,
Machulda Mary M.,
Senjem Matthew L.,
Schwarz Christopher G.,
Weigand Stephen D.,
Spychalla Anthony J.,
Drubach Daniel A.,
Jack Clifford R.,
Lowe Val J.,
Josephs Keith A.
Publication year - 2019
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.2018.12.016
Subject(s) - neurodegeneration , atrophy , pittsburgh compound b , cohort , disease , standardized uptake value , pathology , neuroscience , amyloid (mycology) , psychology , positron emission tomography , medicine , alzheimer's disease , oncology
Little is known about the role of age on neurodegeneration and protein deposition in atypical variants of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods Regional tau and β‐amyloid positron emission tomography standard uptake value ratios and gray matter volumes were calculated in a cohort of 42 participants with atypical AD. The relationship between regional metrics and age was modeled using a Bayesian hierarchical linear model. Results Age was strongly associated with tau uptake across all cortical regions, particularly parietal, with greater uptake in younger participants. Younger age was associated with smaller parietal and lateral temporal volumes. Regional β‐amyloid differed little by age. Age showed a stronger association with tau than volume and β‐amyloid in all cortical regions. Age was not associated with cognitive performance. Discussion Age is an important determinant of severity of cortical tau uptake in atypical AD, with young participants more likely to show widespread and severe cortical tau uptake.