Understanding the role of TDP-43 co-pathology in primary tauopathies

In diseases like progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD), harmful protein clumps form in the brain. A key culprit is the tau protein, which becomes abnormally modified and forms insoluble protein aggregates, disrupting normal brain function. Another protein, TDP-43, mainly causes other neurodegenerative disorders but can also build up in some patients with PSP and CBD as a so-called co-pathology, but scientists don't fully understand how it interacts with tau and affects disease progression.