Louise van der Weerd, Boyd Kenkhuis and others published a paper with Erasmus MC on iron accumulation in patients with frontotemporal lobe dementia. Neuroinflammation has been implicated in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) pathophysiology, including in genetic forms with microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) mutations (FTLD-MAPT) or chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) repeat expansions (FTLD-C9orf72). Both DNA mutations are associated with eventual brain cell death, thereby mediating a strong decline in brain volume in the frontal and temporal areas of the brain.

The research group studied patterns of cortical iron accumulation as a potential marker for neuroinflammation and its colocalizations: underlying pathologies (tau and TDP-43), brain cells (microglia and astrocytes), and myelination. Iron accumulation is a feature of both FTLD-MAPT and FTLD-C9orf72 and is associated with pathological severity.

Read the full publication here: Brain Pathol. 2023 Mar 27;e13158.