Microtubule associated protein (tau) gene variability in patients with frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia represents up to 10% of all dementias and is, next to Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body disease, the third most common cause of degenerative dementia. The term "frontotemporal dementia" covers a range of conditions, including Pick's disease, frontal lobe degeneration and dementia associated with motor neurone disease. Neuropathologically FTD is characterised by atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex, often with additional subcortical changes. Both familial and more frequently sporadic forms of FTD can be recognised. Recently, mutations in the microtubule-associated protein (tau) gene have been found in families with frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17). The identification of mutations in the tau gene indicates that the protein plays a central role in the process of neurodegeneration. Epidemiology of frontotemporal dementias in Poland remains still unknown. A prevalence of tau mutations among Polish patients has not been established yet. Here, we report results of a mutational analysis of the tau gene among Polish FTD patients. No pathogenic mutation was found in the analysed sample. The study confirmed that the frequency of tau mutations is very low and depends strongly on the clinical criteria used to select patients. Mutations in the tau gene account only for a small number of FTD cases with a clear autosomal dominant pattern of disease inheritance. Therefore there should exist additionalgenetic and non-genetic factors contributing to the pathogenesis of both familial (linked and non-linked to chromosome 17) and sporadic forms of FTD.