Characterization of tau astrogliopathy on aging and neurodegenerative diseases

• Grant number: 16/24326-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): April 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Pathological Anatomy and Clinical Pathology
• Cooperation agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Nitrini
• Grantee: Roberta Diehl Rodriguez
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases are the leading cause of dementia, and are characterized by a heterogeneous group of diseases. The mechanism associated with neurodegenerative diseases is often not the same, but this group of diseases shares some features, such as the presence of abnormal protein aggregates. The presence of hyperphosphorylated tau protein aggregates is a characteristic of a group of neurodegenerative diseases termed the tauopathies. Abnormal tau protein deposit is observed in neurons and glial cells in tauopathies, however its meanings still poorly understood. So far, most studies have focused on the involvement of neuronal cells, however recent studies have demonstrated that glial cells, until this moment considered a passive support, play an important role in the spread of the disease. The introduction of new antibodies in the immunohistochemical analysis has enabled the identification of astroglial lesions in brains of aging individuals with and without the presence of other neuropathological changes. The aim of this study is to analyze the frequency of astroglial tau pathology in brains without and with neurodegenerative pathology, characterize these neuropathological lesions, and assess its impact on the development of clinical symptoms. Brains from the Human Brain Bank of the Brazilian Aging Brain Study Group will be analyzed. Initially a screening of astroglial tau pathology in selected areas will be performed using immunohistochemistry with antibody against hyperphosphorylated tau. Additionally, a wide immunohistochemical analysis to characterize the tau protein aggregates and genetic analyses to assess a possible influence of ancestry will be performed. The purpose of our study is contribute to the understanding the role of astroglial tau pathology in the brain aging and neurodegeneration. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

NASCIMENTO, CAMILA; NUNES, PAULA VILLELA; SUEMOTO, CLAUDIA KIMIE; RODRIGUEZ, ROBERTA DIEHL; PARAIZO LEITE, RENATA ELAINE; GRINBERG, LEA TENENHOLZ; PASQUALUCCI, CARLOS AUGUSTO; NITRINI, RICARDO; JACOB-FILHO, WILSON; BRENTANI, HELENA PAULA; LAFER, BENY. Differential levels of inflammatory and neuroendocrine markers in the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex of bipolar disorder subjects: A post-mortem study. BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY, v. 90, p. 286-293, NOV 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

RICARDO PIRES ALVIM; PATRICK AGUIAR; DANIEL KEMPEL AMADO; MARIA SHEILA GUIMARÃES ROCHA; ROBERTA DIEHL RODRIGUEZ; SONIA MARIA DOZZI BRUCKI. Rasmussen encephalitis: an older adult presentation?. Dement. Neuropsychol., v. 14, n. 4, p. 434-437, Dez. 2020.