Brain tissue studies

Batra*, Arnold*, et.al., Alzheimer's & Dementia (2022),  involved metabolic profiling of 500 postmortem brain tissue from the ROS/MAP cohorts. This extensive untargeted metabolomics assessment of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) uncovered 297 metabolites linked to key Alzheimer's-relevant pathways such as bioenergetics, cholesterol metabolism, and neuroinflammation. Importantly, it highlighted tau protein load as a significant driver of metabolic dysfunction in the Alzheimer's, with minimal contributions from beta-amyloid. 

Batra*, Krumsiek*, Wang* et.al., accepted at Alzheimer's & Dementia (2024), expanded our research scope to include a comparative analysis of two tauopathies, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Utilizing brain samples of neuropathologically diagnosed AD, PSP, and control donors from the Mayo Clinic Brain Bank. We analyzed 658 metabolites across the cerebellar (CER) and temporal cortex (TCX) regions, identifying 200 metabolites significantly associated with the diseases. Despite their distinct pathologies — PSP as a pure tauopathy and AD involving both tau and beta-amyloid — both conditions exhibited similarities in metabolic disruptions caused by oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and tau-related changes.