AAIC 2021 | The extended Network Diffusion Model: introducing amyloid-tau interactions

Chaitali Anand, PhD, University of California San Francisco, describes the development of the extended Network Diffusion Model (eNDM), which builds upon the Network Diffusion Model (NDM) used to model pathology in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The NDM models brain regions as nodes and mitral projections as connecting fibers. It can be used to simulate the diffusion of misfolded proteins across the brain network. The advancement of the eNDM is based on its ability to model interactions between amyloid-beta and tau instead of modeling their individual spread only. This builds on the current belief that amyloid and tau pathologies seen in AD are not independent but rather influence each other in terms of disease progression; this has been demonstrated in animal models. This interview took place during the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), 2021.