Cerebral β-Amyloid Angiopathy Is Associated with Earlier Dementia Onset in Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND

Cerebral β-amyloid angiopathy (CAA) occurs when β-amyloid (Aβ) is deposited in the vascular media and adventitia. It is a common pathology in the brains of older individuals and has been linked to cognitive decline, but relatively little is known about the influence that CAA has on the clinical manifestation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this retrospective analysis was to quantify the effect that CAA had on the manifestation of initial AD-related cognitive change and subsequent progression of dementia.

METHODS

We analyzed neuropathological data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center's data set, performing parametric analyses to assess differences in age of progression to moderate-stage dementia.

RESULTS

We found that individuals with both CAA burden and Aβ neuritic plaque burden at death had the greatest risk of earlier conversion to very mild and moderate-stage dementia, but not necessarily faster progression.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that CAA contributes to changes in early AD pathogenesis. This supports the idea that vascular change and neuritic plaque deposition are not just parallel processes but reflect additive pathological cascades that influence the course of clinical AD manifestation. Further inquiry into the role of CAA and its contribution to early cognitive change in AD is suggested.