LATE in the population.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Limbic-predominant, Age-related, TDP-43 Encephalopathy in the population.
IRAS ID
302560
Contact name
Carol Brayne
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Cambridge
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
UK Clinical Research Network (UKCRN) CC75C, 4288
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Relationships between dementia and the range of abnormalities seen in the brains of older people are not well understood. Abnormalities in brain cells related to a protein called TDP-43 are known to be involved in many types of disease that lead to dementia or physical disability and can be seen in many brain areas. TDP-43 is an important contributor to dementia in the older population and this has recently been defined as “Limbic-predominant, Age-related, TDP-43 Encephalopathy” (LATE). TDP-43 abnormalities can also be present in those without dementia. Understanding the relationships between TDP-43 abnormalities and dementia is essential if we are to fully understand how TDP-43 affects brain ageing in the population and how it contributes to LATE. Our study will describe how common and how severe TDP-43 abnormalities are across the brain in older people. We will look at the relationships between dementia and TDP-43 in many areas in brains donated by participants in the Cambridge City over 75s Cohort and the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study I, both large studies of brain ageing in older people with over 800 brain donations combined. This study will add to knowledge of how these abnormalities contribute to dementia and how they interact with the other abnormalities we have already studied. This information is required for the development of tests to measure the contributions of TDP-43 to dementia in older people and to develop experimental systems for TDP-43 that can be used in the search for treatments to help those with dementia.
REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/PR/1671
Date of REC Opinion
10 Dec 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion