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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Detection of Neuritic Plaques in Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model
Published on: July 26, 2011
Interaction of neuritic plaques and education predicts dementia
Catherine M Roe1, Chengjie Xiong, J Phillip Miller
1Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 4488 Forest Park Avenue, St Louis, MO 63108, USA. cathyr@wubios.wustl.edu
Abstract:
In exploring the cognitive reserve hypothesis in persons with substantial Alzheimer disease neuropathology, we aimed to determine the extent to which educational attainment and densities of diffuse plaques, neuritic plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles predict dementia. Participants were 1563 individuals aged 65 years or above who were assessed for dementia within 1 year of death. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine whether education and density ratings of diffuse plaques and neuritic plaques, and neurofibrillary tangle stage were associated with a dementia diagnosis. Education interacted with densities of neuritic plaques to predict dementia. Tangle density independently predicted dementia, but did not interact with education. Diffuse plaque density was unrelated to dementia when adjusted for densities of neuritic plaques and tangles. Among individuals with Alzheimer disease neuropathology, educational attainment, as a surrogate of cognitive reserve, modifies the influence of neuritic, but not diffuse, plaque neuropathology on the expression of dementia.
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