Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathological changes present with amnestic and nonamnestic (atypical) syndromes. The contribution of comorbid neuropathology as a substratum of atypical expression of AD remains under investigated.
Methods: We examined whether atypical AD exhibited increased comorbid neuropathology compared to typical AD and if such neuropathologies contributed to the accelerated clinical decline in atypical AD.
Results: We examined 60 atypical and 101 typical AD clinicopathological cases. The number of comorbid pathologies was similar between the groups (p = 0.09). Argyrophilic grain disease was associated with atypical presentation (p = 0.008) after accounting for sex, age of onset, and disease duration. Vascular brain injury was more common in typical AD (p = 0.022). Atypical cases had a steeper Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) decline over time (p = 0.033).
Discussion: Comorbid neuropathological changes are unlikely to contribute to atypical AD presentation and the steeper cognitive decline seen in this cohort.
Highlights: Autopsy cohort of 60 atypical and 101 typical AD; does comorbid pathology explain atypical presentation?Atypical versus Typical AD: No significant differences in comorbid neuropathologies were found (p = 0.09).Argyrophilic Grain Disease Association: significantly correlates with atypical AD presentations, suggesting a unique neuropathological pattern (p = 0.008).Vascular Brain Injury Prevalence: Vascular brain injury is more common in typical AD than in atypical AD (p = 0.022).Cognitive Decline in Atypical AD: Atypical AD patients experience a steeper cognitive decline measured by MMSE than those with typical AD despite lacking more comorbid neuropathology, highlighting the severity of atypical AD pathogenesis (p = 0.033).
Keywords: atypical Alzheimer's disease; clinicopathological correlation; comorbidities; neuropathology; post mortem; selective vulnerability.
© 2024 The Author(s). Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.