It was in 2019 that this form was discovered, and it concerns more people who already have Alzheimer’s disease.
Three years ago, researchers from the University of Kentucky discovered a form of dementia baptized Late (pour Limbic-predominant Age-related TDP-43 Encephalopathy).
If the signs of this dementia can be compared to those ofAlzheimertheir origin is different and to date undetermined.
An extensive study in progress
More than 6,000 participants, aged 88 on average and from several regions of the world, have been recruited to take part in a large study which is still ongoing. Whether biopsy, genetic or even clinical data, their brain has been analyzed.
Futura Health informs us that nearly 40% of patients were affected by Late, its stage not important. On the other hand, more than half (54.9%) of the people concerned also presented senile plaques characteristic of Alzheimer’s.
Carol Brayne, a professor of public health at the University of Cambridge who took part in the study, summarizes: “Given that older ages are when dementia is most common, Late’s results are particularly important. Although there are many differences between the studies that are combined here, from design to methodologies, they reveal the importance of Late and suggest that our findings will be relevant beyond any country or region of the world”.
25% of over 85s affected
For scientists, the impact of this form of dementia is “as important as Alzheimer’s” since 25% of people aged over 85 would be affected.
What are its signs, exactly? First, as with Alzheimer’s, memory is affected and gradually, daily activities are affected. However, its evolution would be slower and its functioning different, involving a particular protein, the TDP-43 protein. The diagnosis can only be confirmed after death via a brain autopsy. The treatments usually prescribed to treat Alzheimer’s are ineffective against Late. The researchers ask that the immunological biomarkers of dementia be studied, which are detectable when the subject is alive.