title: Brain tau deposition linked to systemic causes of death in normal elderly.
abstract: The relationship between causes of death and 4 major neurodegenerative brain proteins (beta-amyloid, tau, alpha-synuclein, and the TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) were assessed in 94 cognitively normal elderly participants that died without a neurodegenerative disease. There was an association between tau and causes of death (p = 0.01). Tau in the brain was associated with a reduced likelihood of dying from systemic cancers (p = 0.046), and with an increased likelihood of dying from pulmonary (p = 0.03) and gastrointestinal (p = 0.049) diseases. There were no associations between beta-amyloid, alpha-synuclein, or TDP-43 and causes of death. Tau deposition in the brain may have a relationship with systemic causes of death, including cancer, in the cognitively normal elderly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. Electronic address: josephs.keith@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Keith A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Josephs
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences Research (Biostatistics), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Nirubol
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tosakulwong
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences Research (Biostatistics), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Weigand
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Whitwell
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Dennis W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Dickson
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Petersen
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002423:Cause of Death; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000378:metabolism; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C000598624:TARDBP protein, human; D051844:alpha-Synuclein; D016875:tau Proteins
keywords: Cancer; Gastrointestinal disease; Mortality; Normal aging; Pulmonary disease; Tau