The MAPT p.E342K and p.R406W mutations are associated with progressive supranuclear palsy with atypical features

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is an atypical parkinsonism caused by the intracerebral aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) which is encoded by MAPT gene. Although PSP is a sporadic disease, MAPT mutations have been reported in rare cases.

Among 190 patients with PSP who were recruited by the Neurodegenerative Research Group at Mayo Clinic during 2009-2023, we identified two patients who fulfilled diagnostic criteria for PSP-Richardson's syndrome (PSP-RS) and harbor novel MAPT mutations. To better investigate the potential effects of these mutations, we compared the clinical, and neuroimaging characteristics of these two patients to 20 randomly selected patients with PSP-RS without a MAPT mutation.

MAPT c.1024G > A, p. Glu342Lys, and MAPT c.1217 G > A, p. Arg406Gln mutations were found in 2 men who developed PSP-RS with atypical features at the ages of 60 and 62 years, respectively. Glu342Lys mutation was associated with features resembling alpha-synucleinopathies (autonomic dysfunction, dream enactment behavior), while both mutations were associated with features suggestive of Alzheimer's disease with poorer performance on tests of episodic memory. Comparison of ¹⁸F-flortaucipir uptake between the two MAPT mutation cases with 20 patients without a mutation revealed increased signal on flortaucipir-PET in bilateral medial temporal lobe regions (amygdala, entorhinal cortices, hippocampus, parahippocampus) but not in PSP-related regions (globus pallidum, midbrain, superior frontal cortex and dentate nucleus of the cerebellum).

Glu342Lys and Arg406Gln mutations appear to modify the PSP-RS phenotype by targeting the medial temporal lobe regions resulting in more memory loss and greater flortaucipir uptake.