Prodromal Alzheimer's disease presenting as cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation with spontaneous amyloid-related imaging abnormalities and high cerebrospinal fluid anti-Aβ autoantibodies

J Alzheimers Dis. 2015;45(2):363-7. doi: 10.3233/JAD-142376.

Abstract

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-ri), a rare form of vasculitis associated with amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition in vessel walls, has been proposed as a spontaneous human model of the amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) occurring after anti-Aβ immunotherapy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We describe a case of a patient with biopsy-proven CAA-ri and prodromal AD, confirmed by means of neuropsychological examination after 20 months follow-up, presenting with ARIA and high levels of cerebrospinal fluid anti-Aβ autoantibodies. This case further supports the analogies between the inflammatory response driven by anti-Aβ immunotherapy and that spontaneously occurring in CAA-ri.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; amyloid-related imaging abnormalities; anti-Aβ autoantibodies; cerebral amyloid angiopathy; cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation; subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Alzheimer Disease* / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Alzheimer Disease* / complications
  • Alzheimer Disease* / immunology
  • Amyloid / metabolism*
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / immunology*
  • Autoantibodies / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy / complications*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male

Substances

  • Amyloid
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Autoantibodies