Relationship between the tau protein and choroid plexus volume in Alzheimer's disease

• Published in: Neuroreport Vol. 34; no. 11; p. 546
• Main Authors: Ota, Miho, Sato, Noriko, Nakaya, Moto, Shigemoto, Yoko, Kimura, Yukio, Chiba, Emiko, Yokoi, Yuma, Tsukamoto, Tadashi, Matsuda, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 24.08.2023
• Subjects: Alzheimer Disease - diagnostic imaging; Choroid Plexus - diagnostic imaging; Humans; tau Proteins
• ISSN: 1473-558X
• DOI: 10.1097/WNR.0000000000001923

Tau protein accumulation in the brain is thought to be one of the causes of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent studies found that the choroid plexus (CP) has a role in β-amyloid and tau protein clearance in the brain. We evaluated the relationships between CP volume and the ß-amyloid and tau protein depositions. Participants were 20 patients with AD and 35 healthy subjects who underwent MRI and PET scanning using the ß-amyloid tracer 11C-PiB and the tau/inflammatory tracer 18F-THK5351. We computed the volume of the CP and estimated the relationships between the CP volume and ß-amyloid and tau protein/inflammatory deposition by Spearman's correlation test. The CP volume was significantly positively correlated with both the standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) of 11C-PiB and the SUVR of 18F-THK5351 in all participants. The CP volume was also significantly positively correlated with the SUVR of 18F-THK5351in patients with AD. Our data suggested that the volume of the CP was a good biomarker for the evaluation of tau deposition and neuroinflammation.