# Molecular Network Degeneration in FTLD-Related Pathology

> **NIH NIH P01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2020 · $283,500

## Abstract

Dementia is associated with selective degeneration of microscopic and macroscale neuronal networks
resulting in heterogeneous clinical features. Data from human neuropathology and experimental models
support the hypothesis that neurodegenerative disease pathologies spread through selectively vulnerable
neuronal networks. Frontotemporal dementia can manifest clinically as behavioral variant of FTD (bvFTD) or
primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Both clinical phenotypes can be associated with the accumulation of
protein aggregates in affected brain regions composed of either TDP-43 or tau protein. Understanding how
networks degenerate in fronototemporal dementia is important in terms of understanding the progression of
disease as it relates to variable clinical and pathologic subtypes. The goal of this project is to perform single
cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) of key regions that degenerate in frontotemporal lobar degeneration to
identify cellular-level molecular networks that are specifically altered due to TDP-43 versus tau pathology in
behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia. Novel bioinformatics
approaches will be applied to scRNAseq datasets to identify neuronal cell types and molecular networks which
are selectively vulnerable in frontotemporal dementia clinicopathologic subtypes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9937387
- **Project number:** 1P01AG066597-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Edward Byung-Ha Lee
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $283,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9937387

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9937387, Molecular Network Degeneration in FTLD-Related Pathology (1P01AG066597-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9937387. Licensed CC0.

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