# Neuropath Core

> **NIH NIH U19** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2020 · $556,375

## Abstract

In 1997, the FHS began its brain donation program, and has 568 currently enrolled subjects and 241 who have
come to autopsy. As a community-aging brain bank, there is a spectrum of pathologies present, including a
significant number of participants that were cognitively intact at the time of death (e.g., CDR 0; 32%), mild
cognitively impaired (19%), or demented (48%), including 34.2% with possible or probable AD. This spectrum of
disease allows for the study of heterogeneous pathologies on clinical outcomes. Traditional pathological methods
used to characterize the distribution of amyloid and tau throughout the brain are semi-quantitative and the
diagnosis of AD is dependent on meeting specified thresholds of density and regional involvement.
Neuropathological characterization of vascular disease into standard quantification methods is still not uniform
and quantification of other pathologies (e.g., Lewy bodies, hippocampal sclerosis, argyrophilic grain disease,
etc.) relies on estimation of regional density and a summary impression of overall distribution patterns. Accurate
assessment of pathological burden is further complicated by the prevalence of mixed pathologies, which
increases with advanced age. Digital technologies offer an exciting opportunity to attenuate the limitations of
traditional semi-quantitative methods and provide a level of measurement that is significantly enhanced in its
precision and objectivity. The proposed Neuropathology Core proposes to continue neuropathological
characterization of FHS participants who come to autopsy integrating longitudinally applied semi-quantification
methods with new technologies to allow precise quantification of AD and cerebrovascular pathologies. The aims
of the Neuropathology Core are (1) perform state-of-the-art diagnostic neuropathology, (2) develop novel
methods for qualitative and quantitative histopathological characterization of the tissue, (3) optimally store and
distribute brain tissue, and (4) provide neuropathological data for Project 3 and other ancillary studies by both
Framingham Heart Study-Brain Aging Program (FHS-BAP) and external investigators. FHS' neuropathological
protocol is already aligned with the Boston University Alzheimer Disease Center (BU ADC) in biospecimen
collection, blocking, staining and storage, and will be further aligned with 7 other brain bank cohorts through a
newly funded U54 led by Neuropathology Core Leader, Ann McKee and co-Leader Thor Stein. In addition, a
digital library of the pathology slides will be generated for each participant and through the Data Core, will be
made publicly available.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10047357
- **Project number:** 1U19AG068753-01
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Ann C. McKee
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $556,375
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10047357

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10047357, Neuropath Core (1U19AG068753-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10047357. Licensed CC0.

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