Primary Age-Related Tauopathy (PART): Addressing the Spectrum of Neuronal Tauopathic Changes in the Aging Brain

AbstractPurpose of ReviewPrimary age-related tauopathy (PART) was recently proposed as a pathologic diagnosis for brains that harbor neurofibrillary tangles (Braak stage ≤ 4) with little, if any, amyloid burden. We sought to review the clinicopathologic findings related to PART.Recent FindingsMost adult human brains show at least focal tauopathic changes, and the majority of individuals with PART do not progress to dementia. Older age and cognitive impairment correlate with increased Braak stage, and multivariate analyses suggest that the rate of cognitive decline is less than matched patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). It remains unclear whether PART is a distinct tauopathic entity separate from AD or rather represents an earlier histologic stage of AD.SummaryCognitive decline in PART is usually milder than AD and correlates with tauopathic burden. Biomarker and ligand-based radiologic studies will be important to define PART antemortem and prospectively follow its natural history.

Source: Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports - July 13, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research