Which type of FTD is not tau-positive?

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Multiple Choice

Which type of FTD is not tau-positive?

In frontotemporal degeneration, the disease is linked to different protein pathologies. Tau-positive disorders include classic tauopathies like PSP, which show tau inclusions. Language and behavioral variants of FTD can be associated with either tau or TDP-43 pathology, depending on the subtype. The type that is not tau-positive is frontotemporal dementia with motor neuron disease, because this form is typically driven by TDP-43 (or FUS) pathology rather than tau. So, even though other FTD variants can sometimes involve tau, FTD-MND is characteristically non-tau and aligns with TDP-43–type pathology.

In frontotemporal degeneration, the disease is linked to different protein pathologies. Tau-positive disorders include classic tauopathies like PSP, which show tau inclusions. Language and behavioral variants of FTD can be associated with either tau or TDP-43 pathology, depending on the subtype. The type that is not tau-positive is frontotemporal dementia with motor neuron disease, because this form is typically driven by TDP-43 (or FUS) pathology rather than tau. So, even though other FTD variants can sometimes involve tau, FTD-MND is characteristically non-tau and aligns with TDP-43–type pathology.

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