Science Translational Medicine· 2026Q1
Distinct tau PET dynamics in early versus late age-of-onset Alzheimer’s disease
- 4citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) shows significantly higher baseline tau PET retention, broader brain involvement, and faster tau accumulation rates compared to late-onset AD (LOAD), even after accounting for amyloid load and disease stage.
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Key points
- EOAD patients had higher baseline tau PET retention and broader neuroanatomical involvement than LOAD patients.
- Tau PET accumulation rates were faster in EOAD compared to LOAD, even after adjusting for amyloid load and clinical stage.
- Tau PET showed stronger correlations with amyloid burden, global cognition, and function in EOAD than in LOAD.
- Earlier age of onset in AD is associated with a more aggressive tauopathy that drives clinical decline.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) and Late-onset AD (LOAD) differ in clinical presentations and rates of progression. We aimed to compare baseline and longitudinal tau PET burden, and their relationship with clinical variables in amyloid-PET positive, cognitively impaired participants from the Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study (EOAD; n=390) and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (LOAD; n=211). Patients with EOAD showed higher baseline tau PET retention, broader neuroanatomical involvement and faster accumulation rates over time compared to LOAD, after adjusting for amyloid load and clinical stage. Tau PET showed stronger correlations with baseline amyloid burden and clinical measures of global cognition and function in EOAD than LOAD. We conclude that earlier age of onset in AD is linked to a more aggressive tauopathy, which in turn is a primary driver of clinical decline. These findings suggest that optimal therapeutic targets and strategies may differ between EOAD and LOAD.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science Translational Medicine, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Psychiatry and Mental health
Psychiatry and Mental healthMedicine