As promised, another installment of new research tidbits from Neuro 2023, held in London from October 19- 23, 2023 and co-sponsored by CurePSP and the PSP Association of the UK:

• Now that inflammation has come under suspicion as an important part of the pathogenesis of PSP and other tauopathies, researchers have realized that many of the known or suspected risk factors for PSP include an inflammatory component.  These include bacterial infection, repetitive mild head injury, seizures, and autoimmune disease. (Karen Duff, University College London, UK)
• The PROSPECT-M-UK study of the atypical Parkinsonisms, based in London but involving 29 centers throughout England and Wales, has been funded since 2015. This long-term observational study’s overall goal is to find diagnostic markers.  It has recruited 1,472 patients so far, of whom 661 have PSP.  Participants undergo neuro exams, receive brain imaging, and provide samples of blood, spinal fluid, and DNA.  (Riona Fumi, UCL, UK)
• A form of tau protein known for 25 years is “high-molecular-weight tau.”  What makes it heavy is the inclusion of a couple of optional stretches of amino acids.  It turns out that this form of tau is more likely than ordinary tau to spread through the brain (called “seeding capacity”), and that the prevalence of HMW tau in various brain regions correlates well with the vulnerability of those regions to PSP. (Ivan Martinez-Valbuena, Rossy Institute, University of Toronto, Canada)
• Previous comparisons of genetic variants between PSP and controls has revealed five genes that each contribute a bit to PSP risk.  Now, a sixth such gene, called C4A, has been discovered in the largest such study ever, including 2,779 patients with PSP and 5,584 controls.  C4A is involved in an important part of the immune system called the “complement cascade,” and is most active in the oligodendrocytes, one type of the brain’s glial cells. (Kurt Farrell, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, US)