Perfusion alterations converge with patterns of pathological spread in TDP-43 proteinopathies

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) commonly share the presence of TDP-43 inclusions. Structural MRI studies demonstrated evidence for TDP-43 pathology spread, but while structural imaging usually reveals overt neuronal loss, perfusion imaging may detect more subtle neural activity alterations. We evaluated perfusion as an early marker for incipient pathology associated brain alterations in TDP-43 proteinopathies. Cortical thickness (CT) and perfusion measurements were obtained in ALS (N=18), pathologically and/or genetically confirmed bvFTD-TDP (N=12), and healthy controls (N=33).

Source: Neurobiology of Aging - April 17, 2018 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Pilar M. Ferraro, Charles Jester, Christopher A. Olm, Katerina Placek, Federica Agosta, Lauren Elman, Leo McCluskey, David J. Irwin, John A. Detre, Massimo Filippi, Murray Grossman, Corey T. McMillan Source Type: research