Running title: Amyloid angiopathy and vascular brain lesions

AIMS: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) represents the deposition of amyloid beta protein (Abeta) in the meningeal and intracerebral vessels. It is often observed as an accompanying lesion of Alzheimer's disease (AD) or in the brain of elderly individuals even in the absence of dementia. CAA is largely age-dependent. In subjects with severe CAA a higher frequency of vascular lesions has been reported. The goal of our study was to define the frequency and distribution of CAA in a one-year autopsy population (91 cases) from the Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Geriatrics, Geneva. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five brain regions were examined, including the hippocampus, and the inferior temporal, frontal, parietal, and occipital cortex, using an antibody against Abeta, and simultaneously assessing the severity of AD-type pathology with Braak stages for neurofibrillary tangles identified with an anti-tau antibody. In parallel, the relationships of CAA with vascular brain lesions were established. RESULTS: CAA was present in 53.8% of the studied population, even in cases without AD (50.6%). The strongest [...] KOVARI, Eniko Veronika, et al. The relationship between cerebral amyloid angiopathy and cortical microinfarcts in brain ageing and Alzheimer's disease. Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology, 2013, vol. 39, no. 5, p. 498-509 DOI : 10.1111/nan.12003