A population study found tau-related astrocyte changes in most people aged 85 and older
Original source
Ageing-related tau astrogliopathy in a population-based study of the oldest old (Vantaa 85+). (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Studied in
- Human
Population inferred from the title and abstract by Compass.
Related topics
Tau-related changes in astrocytes, called ageing-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG), were found in 79.6% of 304 neuropathologically examined people from the population-based Vantaa 85+ study. Different ARTAG patterns were associated with male sex and with several other age-related brain pathologies, including TDP-43 changes, hippocampal sclerosis, argyrophilic grains and cerebrovascular disease.
Why this matters
The findings improve understanding of how common ARTAG is in the oldest-old and how it occurs alongside other brain changes. This is a pathology study, not an ALS treatment study, and it does not show an effect on ALS risk, symptoms or treatment.
Limitations and context
The study examined 304 people from an oldest-old population who underwent neuropathological examination. The source describes associations, so it cannot establish cause and effect. It does not report an ALS-specific cohort or treatment outcome, and the supplied source is an abstract-level report of a journal article.