By Meghan McCarthy
Author’s Note: This article is part of ongoing coverage of the 2024 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). To view all highlights, please click here.
Recent research through the Departments of Bioengineering, Neurology, and Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania is exploring the biologic causes for atypical Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Led by Lasya Sreepada, MS, BS, a doctoral candidate at Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the team presented their work at the 2024 AAIC.
Atypical AD affects approximately 15 percent of AD patients. The term encompasses individuals who experience cognitive outcomes that differ from typical AD symptoms. For example, individuals with atypical AD may experience greater change in their behavior, personality, and language compared to symptoms predominantly based around memory. Usually, atypical AD patients also develop their symptoms at a younger age.
Atypical AD highlights the heterogeneity in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), or the variance in disease symptoms and presentation.
Sreepada’s work aims to understand ADRD heterogeneity.