Session Information
Date: Monday, September 23, 2019
Session Title: Neuroanatomy
Session Time: 1:45pm-3:15pm
Location: Les Muses, Level 3
Objective: Determine Clinico-pathological correlates of aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG).
Background: Aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG) appears to be a morphological spectrum of astroglial pathology mostly seen in elderly individuals with or without neurodegenerative disease. Little is known about its potential contribution to or association with clinical entities. It is distinguished from primary tauopathies by morphology and anatomical distribution. We wanted to determine its association with aging and aging-related conditions.
Method: We performed a database search of the Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders (AZSAND)/ Banner Sun Health Research Institute Brain and Body Donation Program (BBDP) (www.brainandbodydonationprogram.org). Most subjects had serial standardized research cognitive evaluations, done by teams of nurses, medical assistants, behavioral neurologists, neuropsychologists and psychometrists using standardized research-quality assessment batteries, including the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set (UDS). The cases with ARTAG were selected and reviewed for final clinico-pathologic diagnosis.
Results: 181 cases had ARTAG, 117 male and 64 female, with age range 62-106 years at death, mean 88.0 (SD=7.55), [86.1, (7.17) for males, and 90.9 (6.90) for females respectively]. This is older than the average age at death, 83, of our program cases. Distribution of clinico-pathologic diagnoses (not mutually exclusive) was: 25 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) , and 22 were cognitively normal controls, 89 argyrophylic grain disease, 81 Alzheimer’s disease, 45 Parkinson’s disease (PD) (12 PD dementia, 9 PD/AD, 11 PD/ MCI, 13 PD no cognitive impairment), 23 dementia with Lewy Bodies, 34 vascular dementia, 22 progressive supranuclear palsy, 11 hippocampal sclerosis, 4 frontotemporal degeneration with TDP, 2 corticobasal degeneration, 2 Picks disease. Most cases had more than one pathology.
Conclusion: ARTAG appears to be common to a wide range of neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases. There is possibly a tendency to be associated with argyrophyilic grain disease, “older old” and males (65%). More work needs to be done to confirm these associations and their significance.
References: Kovacs GG, et al., Aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG): harmonized evaluation strategy. Acta Neuropathol. 2016 Jan;131(1):87-102. doi: 10.1007/s00401-015-1509-x. Epub 2015 Dec 10. Review. PMID: 26659578 Kovacs GG, et al., Multisite Assessment of Aging-Related Tau Astrogliopathy (ARTAG). J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2017 Jul 1;76(7):605-619. doi: 10.1093/jnen/nlx041. PMID: 28591867
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
E. Zamrini, CH. Adler, GE. Serrano, N. Zhang, DR. Shprecher, SH. Mehta, MN. Sabbagh, E. Driver-Dunckley, HA. Shill, LI. Sue, TG. Beach. Clinico-pathological Findings In Autopsy Cases With Non-Specific Glial Tauopathy [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2019; 34 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/clinico-pathological-findings-in-autopsy-cases-with-non-specific-glial-tauopathy/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to 2019 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/clinico-pathological-findings-in-autopsy-cases-with-non-specific-glial-tauopathy/