Hyperphosphorylated Tau
hyperphosphorylated Tau
Effects of pathological Tau on hippocampal neuronal activity and spatial memory in ageing mice
The gradual accumulation of hyperphosphorylated forms of the Tau protein (pTau) in the human brain correlate with cognitive dysfunction and neurodegeneration. I will present our recent findings on the consequences of human pTau aggregation in the hippocampal formation of a mouse tauopathy model. We show that pTau preferentially accumulates in deep-layer pyramidal neurons, leading to their neurodegeneration. In aged but not younger mice, pTau spreads to oligodendrocytes. During ‘goal-directed’ navigation, we detect fewer high-firing pyramidal cells, but coupling to network oscillations is maintained in the remaining cells. The firing patterns of individually recorded and labelled pyramidal and GABAergic neurons are similar in transgenic and non-transgenic mice, as are network oscillations, suggesting intact neuronal coordination. This is consistent with a lack of pTau in subcortical brain areas that provide rhythmic input to the cortex. Spatial memory tests reveal a reduction in short-term familiarity of spatial cues but unimpaired spatial working and reference memory. These results suggest that preserved subcortical network mechanisms compensate for the widespread pTau aggregation in the hippocampal formation. I will also briefly discuss ideas on the subcortical origins of spatial memory and the concept of the cortex as a monitoring device.
Multimorbidity in the ageing human brain: lessons from neuropathological assessment
Age-associated dementias are neuropathologically characterized by the identification of hallmark intracellular and extracellular deposition of proteins, i.e., hyperphosphorylated-tau, amyloid-β, and α-synuclein, or cerebrovascular lesions. The neuropathological assessment and staging of these pathologies allows for a diagnosis of a distinct disease, e.g., amyloid-β plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease. Neuropathological assessment in large scale cohorts, such as the UK’s Brains for Dementia Research (BDR) programme, has made it increasingly clear that the ageing brain is characterized by the presence of multiple age-associated pathologies rather than just the ‘pure’ hallmark lesion as commonly perceived. These additional pathologies can range from low/intermediate levels, that are assumed to have little if any clinical significance, to a full-blown mixed disease where there is the presence of two distinct diseases. In our recent paper (McAleese et al. 2021 Concomitant neurodegenerative pathologies contribute to the transition from mild cognitive impairment to dementia, https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/alz.12291, Alzheimer's & Dementia), using the BDR cohort, we investigated the frequency of multimorbidity and specifically investigated the impact of additional low-level pathology on cognition. In this study, of 670 donated post-mortem brains, we found that almost 70% of cases exhibited multimorbidity and only 22% were considered a pure diagnosis. Importantly, no case of Lewy Body dementia or vascular dementia was considered pure. A key finding is that the presence of low levels of additional pathology increased the likelihood of having mild dementia vs mild cognitive impairment by almost 20-fold, indicating low levels of additional pathology do impact the clinical progression of a distinct disease. Given the high prevalence and the potential clinical impact, cerebral multimorbidity should be at the forefront of consideration in dementia research.
Investigating the role of hyperphosphorylated tau in both neurodegenerative disease and glioblastoma using adult human organotypic slice cultures
FENS Forum 2024