GENETIC-EVIDENCE FOR THE INVOLVEMENT OF TAU IN PROGRESSIVE SUPRANUCLEAR PALSY

A dinucleotide repeat polymorphism in a tau intron was identified and used in a case-control study to analyze the genetic association of tau with several neurodegenerative diseases with tau pathology. Subjects with the homozygous tau A0 alleles were excessively represented in the progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) group, compared with the age-mat ched healthy control group. Consequently, this allele is more frequent ly found in PSP than in a group of healthy subjects. This trend was no t found in Alzheimer's disease or parkinsonism-dementia complex of Gua m, both of which are accompanied by major tau pathology. The result su ggests a possible involvement of tau in the pathogenesis of PSP.