title: Interlaboratory comparison of assessments of Alzheimer disease-related lesions: a study of the BrainNet Europe Consortium.
abstract: This interlaboratory study evaluated the reproducibility of the assessments of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs)--the hallmark lesions of Alzheimer disease--and compared the staining between the BrainNet Europe centers. To reduce the topography-related inconsistencies in assessments, we used a 2-mm tissue microarray (TMA) technique. The TMA block included 42 core samples taken from 21 paraffin blocks. The assessments were done on Bielschowsky and Gallyas silver stains using an immunohistochemical (IHC) method with antibodies directed to beta-amyloid (IHC/Abeta) and hyperphosphorylated tau (IHC/HPtau). The staining quality and the assessments differed between the participants, being most diverse with Bielschowsky (good/acceptable stain in 53% of centers) followed by Gallyas (good/acceptable stain in 57%) and IHC/Abeta (good/acceptable stain in 71%). The most uniform staining quality and assessment was obtained with the IHC/HPtau method (good/acceptable stain in 94% of centers). The neuropathologic diagnostic protocol (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer Disease, Braak and Braak, and the National Institute of Aging and Reagan [NIA-Reagan] Institute) that was used significantly influenced the agreement, being highest with NIA-Reagan (54%) recommendations. This agreement was improved by visualization of NFTs using the IHC/HPtau method. Therefore, the IHC/HPtau methodology to visualize NFTs and neuropil threads should be considered as a method of choice in a future diagnostic protocol for Alzheimer disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Neurology, Kuopio University, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland. irina.alafuzoff@uku.fi
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Alafuzoff
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pikkarainen
authors.forename: Safa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Sarraj
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arzberger
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Istvan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bodi
authors.forename: Nenad
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bogdanovic
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Budka
authors.forename: Orso
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bugiani
authors.forename: Isidro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gelpi
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giaccone
authors.forename: Manuel B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Graeber
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hauw
authors.forename: Wouter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kamphorst
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kopp
authors.forename: Penelope
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Korkolopoulou
authors.forename: Gábor G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meyronet
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parchi
authors.forename: Efstratios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Patsouris
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Preusser
authors.forename: Rivka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ravid
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Roggendorf
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Seilhean
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Streichenberger
authors.forename: Dietmar R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Thal
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kretzschmar
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D007390:International Agencies / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D010336:Pathology / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012042:Registries / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016622:Silver Staining / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D014015:Tissue Banks / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D016875:tau Proteins