TDP-43 pathology, cognitive decline, and dementia in old age.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Cognitive decline is a leading cause of disability and death in old age but its neurobiological bases are not well understood.

Objective

To test the hypothesis that transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is related to late-life cognitive decline.

Design, setting, and participants

Longitudinal clinical-pathologic cohort study involving more than 40 Catholic groups across the United States. A total of 130 older Catholic nuns, priests, and monks underwent annual clinical evaluations, including detailed cognitive testing, for a mean of 10.1 years prior to death. On neuropathologic examination, we collected semiquantitative measures of TDP-43 pathology, density of neuronal neurofibrillary tangles, area occupied by amyloid-beta plaques, and the pres

SUBMITTER: Wilson RS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3830649 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature