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LATE is a term that describes a prevalent condition with impaired memory and thinking in advanced age, often culminating in the dementia clinical syndrome. In other words, the symptoms of LATE are similar to those of Alzheimer's disease.
The acronym LATE stands for Limbic-predominant Age-related TDP-43 Encephalopathy: “limbic” is related to the brain areas first involved, “age-related” and the name “LATE” itself refer to the onset of disease usually in persons aged 80 or older, “TDP-43” indicates the aberrant mis-folded protein deposits in the brain that characterize LATE, and “encephalopathy” means illness of brain.
At present LATE can only be diagnosed with certainty at autopsy. The terminology used to refer to the brain changes identified in autopsy-confirmed LATE is: LATE neuropathologic change. The diagnosis of LATE-NC at autopsy requires detection of pathologic TDP-43 protein deposits in the brain, especially in the amygdala and hippocampus.
LATE is a very common condition. LATE typically affects persons older than 75 years of age and becomes increasingly prevalent every year in advanced old age. This is in contrast to Alzheimer's disease pathology, which tends to level off and perhaps decrease in prevalence among persons beyond age 85 years. Autopsy studies around the world indicate that LATE is present in the brains of about one-third of people over 85. LATE is often comorbid with other pathologic changes that are associated with dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular disease.