Clinicopathological feature of limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) in Lewy body disease and Alzheimer’s disease: Research Introduction

Abstract

Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) is characterized by TDP-43 aggregates primarily observed in the limbic system regions of the brain, and its frequency increases with age. The LATE neuropathologic changes often coexist with other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Lewy body disease (LBD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to elucidate the clinicopathological features of LATE, particularly its coexistence with LBD, AD, or their mixed pathologies . The neuropathologic changes of LATE (LATE-NC) in LBD and AD displayed distinct distributional and morphological differences, possibly influenced by Lewy body pathologies and AD pathologies, respectively. Furthermore, LATE-NC was associated with cognitive decline independent of either Lewy or AD neuropathologic changes. These findings emphasize the diversity of LBD and AD and underscore the importance of appropriate patient recruitment in future clinical research.