α-Synuclein seed amplification assay detects Lewy body co-pathology in autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease late in the disease course and dependent on Lewy pathology burden

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONAmyloid beta and tau pathology are the hallmarks of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) and autosomal dominant AD (ADAD). However, Lewy body pathology (LBP) is found in approximate to 50% of AD and ADAD brains.METHODSUsing an alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (SAA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from asymptomatic (n = 26) and symptomatic (n = 27) ADAD mutation carriers, including 12 with known neuropathology, we investigated the timing of occurrence and prevalence of SAA positive reactivity in ADAD in vivo.RESULTSNo asymptomatic participant and only 11% (3/27) of the symptomatic patients tested SAA positive. Neuropathology revealed LBP in 10/12 cases, primarily affecting the amygdala or the olfactory areas. In the latter group, only the individual with diffuse LBP reaching the neocortex showed alpha-synuclein seeding activity in CSF in vivo.DISCUSSIONResults suggest that in ADAD LBP occurs later than AD pathology and often as amygdala- or olfactory-predominant LBP, for which CSF alpha-synuclein SAA has low sensitivity.Highlights Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) detects misfolded alpha-synuclein in approximate to 10% of symptomatic autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease (ADAD) patients. CSF RT-QuIC does not detect alpha-synuclein seeding activity in asymptomatic mutation carriers. Lewy body pathology (LBP) in ADAD mainly occurs as olfactory only or amygdala-predominant variants. LBP develops late in the disease course in ADAD. CSF alpha-synuclein RT-QuIC has low sensitivity for focal, low-burden LBP.