Researchers have identified a new form of dementia called limbic-predominant amnestic neurodegenerative syndrome (LANS), which is often mistaken for Alzheimer’s disease.
LANS presents different brain changes and progresses more slowly, mostly affecting those over 80. Diagnosis can only be confirmed upon autopsy, but new criteria developed by the Mayo Clinic and other institutions help distinguish it from Alzheimer’s. LANS is associated with limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) and shows different protein buildups in the brain compared to Alzheimer’s.
Disentangling the various forms and mechanisms of dementia is tricky work, but the team at Mayo plans to continue refining their LANS classification.