The selected paper, which utilizes Wisconsin ADRC and WRAP participant data, maps a timeline of amyloid and tau accumulation in the brain
Karly Cody, PhD has been awarded the de Leon award from the International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment Neuroimaging for a paper published in Brain in June 2024. Cody is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University and an Honorary Fellow at UW School of Medicine and Public Health. She authored the paper while completing a doctoral degree in neuroscience in the lab of Sterling Johnson, PhD.
The study, “Characterizing brain tau and cognitive decline along the amyloid timeline in Alzheimer’s disease,” examined brain scans from 601 participants enrolled in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention and the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. In the study, the researchers tracked a timeline of brain amyloid accumulation, the hallmark protein in Alzheimer’s disease. They demonstrated brain tau begins accumulating within the first 10 years of amyloid accumulation, suggesting that this decade is pivotal for clinical trials designed to target amyloid and/or tau pathology. Cody and colleagues also found that the co-occurrence of brain amyloid and tau is required for cognition to decline over time. Together, their findings suggest that amyloid buildup sets the stage for tau pathology, which in turn drives cognitive decline. Understanding this sequence of events provides insights into the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and highlights the importance of early detection and intervention.
The de Leon Prizes in Neuroimaging have recognized scientists judged to have published “best papers” in the field of neuroimaging of neurodegenerative processes. The award provides a $2,500 prize and the opportunity to present the study’s findings in the Alzheimer’s Imaging Consortium at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.