Capillary amyloid-ß (capAß) deposition in the cerebral cortex is the neuropathological feature providing the basis for categorizing cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) into two distinct types, CAA-Type1 with capAß and CAA-Type2 without capAß.
We investigated the neuropathological and clinical characteristics of capAß deposition in a prospective population-based study.
Vantaa 85+ includes 601 individuals aged =85 years, of which 300 were studied clinically and neuropathologically. 278 subjects were analyzed for the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. The diagnosis of capAß was determined using immunohistochemistry against Aß, and of CAA using Congo red confirmed by Aß immunohistochemistry, both analyzed in six brain areas. The severity of capAß was graded semi-quantitatively, and the severity of CAA was based on the percentage of affected vessels. Alzheimer's disease (AD)-type neuropathology (CERAD score and Braak stage) was analyzed using standard methods.
CAA-Type1 was present in 86/300, CAA-Type2 in 135/300, and 79/300 had no CAA. CapAß was most frequent in the occipital lobe (79/86). CAA-Type1 was associated with the severity of CAA (p?