Quantification of Phosphorylated TDP-43 Protein in Concomitant Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia Público

Broida, Samuel Earl (2015)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/t722h9385?locale=es
Published

Abstract

The appearance of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in a subset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients has prompted researchers to investigate pathological and genetic overlaps between the two diseases. The aim of this study was to determine if there is a link between the pathological burden of pTDP-43 protein and the presence of dementia in ALS patients. Quantitative analysis was performed on cognitively normal ALS patients, ALS patients with dementia, and patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Our results show that demented ALS patients tend to have a higher burden of pTDP-43 pathology in the dentate gyrus than do cognitively normal ALS patients. However, in four other regions there was no difference in pTDP-43 pathology between the subject groups. Also, two ALS patients had high levels of pTDP-43 in the dentate gyrus but did not present with FTD symptoms. This provides some insight as to the correlation between this protein and clinical dementia, though the exact relationship is not yet certain.

Table of Contents

1. Abstract 1

2. Introduction 2

3. Materials and Methods 9

4. Results 18

5. Discussion 25

6. Limitations and Future Directions 31

7. Conclusion 32

8. References 34

9. Supplementary Tables & Figures 37

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement
  • Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.
School
Department
Degree
Submission
Language
  • English
Research Field
Palabra Clave
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor
Committee Members
Última modificación

Primary PDF

Supplemental Files