The network degeneration hypothesis: spread of neurodegenerative patterns along neuronal brain networks
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The network degeneration hypothesis suggests that neurodegenerative disorders are characterized by the spread of molecular neuropathologic features along specific neuronal brain networks, leading to functional impairment of these networks. Interestingly, the symptomatic phenotype of
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Human studies based on functional connectivity and tractography have suggested brain networks could play a role in tauopathy progression, consistent with the prion hypothesis.
“Human studies based on functional connectivity and tractography have suggested brain networks could play a role in tauopathy progression, consistent with the prion hypothesis (Braak and Braak, 1991; Seeley et al., 2009; Drzezga, 2018; Frontzkowski et al., 2022).”
From Spontaneous pathology in PS19 tauopathy mice progresses via brain networks (2025) · cites this paper as Drzezga, 2018
The main text (page not provided) reports human tau-imaging findings that overlap with functional brain networks and discusses possible prionlike spread of tau along those networks. It does not describe tractography-based human studies, so that methodological detail is unsupported by this source. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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“Plus, these findings agree with previous data implicating a stronger link between tau deposition and cognitive decline (29).”
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Drenthen, G. S., Backes, W. H., Freeze, W. M., Jacobs, H. I. L., Verheggen, I. C. M., van Boxtel, M. P. J., Hoff, E. I., Verhey, F. R., & Jansen, J. F. A. (2022) · Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease · doi:10.3233/jad-220175 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Spontaneous pathology in PS19 tauopathy mice progresses via brain networks
Ramirez, D. M. O., Whitesell, J. D., Bhagwat, N., Thomas, T. L., Ajay, A. D., Nawaby, A., Delatour, B., Bay, S., LaFaye, P., Harris, J. A., et al. (2025) · Neurobiology of Disease · doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2025.107072 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
- Authors
- Drzezga, A.
- Affiliations
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Drzezga, Alexander
- ORCID
- Drzezga, Alexander
- Venue
- Journal of Nuclear Medicine
- Publisher
- Society of Nuclear Medicine
- Published
- 2018-11
- Volume
- 59
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1645-1648
- ISSN
- 0161-5505 (ISSN-L)
- 2159-662X
- OpenAlex
- W2899506695
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 0.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Nuclear Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Kölner Universitäts PublikationsServer (Universität zu Köln) (publishedVersion)
- DZNE Pub (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Keywords
- neurodegenerative diseases, functional disability
- MeSH terms
- Alzheimer Disease, Brain, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Models, Neurological, Nerve Degeneration, Nerve Net, tau Proteins, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Positron-Emission Tomography, Functional Neuroimaging, Protein Aggregation, Pathological
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