Defining the Pathophysiological Role of Tau in Experimental TBI
Abstract
After traumatic brain injury (TBI), the human brain sometimes develops tau pathology partly resembling the hallmark neuropathological features of the tauopathy of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although tau has been strongly linked to the pathogenesis of AD, its involvement in the pathophysiology of TBI and its influence on brain structural and functional outcomes are unclear. Here we used a novel mouse model of early stage AD-type tauopathy to critically evaluate three hypotheses: (i) tau exacerbates the neuronal damage and cognitive dysfunction after single and repetitive mild TBI in the acute and chronic post-injury periods; (ii) mild TBI promotes the severity and spread of tau pathology to contribute to development of a chronic neurodegenerative disorder; and (iii) novel biomarkers for neurodegeneration are non-invasive blood measures of brain dysfunction valuable for the diagnosis and prognosis of mild TBI-triggered chronic neurodegenerative disease.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1046528
Entities
People
- Robert Siman
Organizations
- University of Pennsylvania