Journal
CURRENT OPINION IN PSYCHIATRY
Volume 31, Issue 2, Pages 147-152Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000395
Keywords
beta-amyloid; cerebrovascular disease; small vessel disease; tau
Categories
Funding
- Training Fellowship in Psychiatric Research
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Purpose of review Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) commonly co-occur. Whether CVD promotes the progression of Alzheimer's disease pathology remains a source of great interest. Recent technological developments have enabled us to examine their inter-relationship using quantifiable, biomarker-based approaches. We provide an overview of advances in understanding the relationship between vascular and Alzheimer's disease pathologies, with particular emphasis on beta-amyloid and tau as measured by positron emission tomography and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentration, and magnetic resonance imaging markers of small vessel disease (SVD). Recent findings The relationship between cerebral b-amyloid and various markers of SVD has been widely studied, albeit with somewhat mixed results. Significant associations have been elucidated, particularly between beta-amyloid burden and white matter hyperintensities (WMH), as well as lobar cerebral microbleeds (CMB), with additive effects on cognition. There is preliminary evidence for an association between SVD and tau burden in vivo, although compared with beta-amyloid, fewer studies have examined this relationship. Summary The overlap between Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular pathologies is now being increasingly supported by imaging and CSF biomarkers, indicating a synergistic effect of these co-pathologies on cognition. The association of WMH and CMB with Alzheimer's disease pathology does not establish direction of causality, for which long-term longitudinal studies are needed.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available