TDP-43 in AD/ADRD: Determine why TDP-43 brain pathology occurs in both cognitively normal and cognitively impaired individuals (Milestone 2.V)
In Progress
Timeline Start - End
2020 - 2027Research Implementation Area
Research on Disease MechanismsAD-Related Dementias Focus
Examine the pathologic phenotype(s) of TDP-43 pathology in asymptomatic persons and those with common dementias.
Success Criteria
- At least one study that characterizes TDP-43 dependent pathologic phenotypes in elderly individuals both with and without a clinical diagnosis of a common dementia.
Summary of Key Accomplishments
TDP-43 is a protein normally found throughout the brain and is one of the proteins that tends to be found abnormally clumped inside the cells of individuals with dementia. This relationship between TDP-43 aggregation and dementia symptoms is not well understood. One way that NIH-funded researchers are hoping to understand this better is by asking when, how, how often, and where abnormalities in TDP-43 occur in normal aging as well as in dementia. By analyzing donated post-mortem brain tissue, researchers are studying and beginning to understand the relationship between TDP-43 and a dementia diagnosis. NIH is also currently funding the NeuroBioBank to increase the availability of donated human post-mortem brain tissue for research. Results from these studies will be informative for the development of future therapies and clinical trials.
The key accomplishments summary is current as of July 2022.
Accomplishments/Implementation Activities
Funding Initiatives
Research Programs and Resources
- NIH NeuroBioBank
- The physical biology of neurodegeneration in sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Frontotemporal dementia