Abstract
The role of different cell types and their interactions in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an open question that we have pursued by mapping the human brain at the single cell level. Here, we present a high resolution cellular map of the aging frontal cortex by single nucleus RNA-sequencing of 24 individuals with different clinicopathologic characteristics; which we used to infer the cellular architecture of 640 individuals from bulk RNA-seq profiles. Powered by this sample of sufficient size to obtain statistically robust results, we uncovered AD associations with neuronal subtypes and oligodendroglial states. Moreover, we uncovered a network of cellular communities, each composed of different neuronal, glial and endothelial cells subpopulations whose frequencies are correlated across individuals. Two of the cellular communities are altered in relation to cognitive decline and tau pathology. Our work provides a roadmap for evaluating cross-cell type differences in the cellular environment of the AD brain.
Competing Interest Statement
A.R. is a founder and equity holder of Celsius Therapeutics, an equity holder in Immunitas Therapeutics and until August 31, 2020 was an SAB member of Syros Pharmaceuticals, Neogene Therapeutics, Asimov and ThermoFisher Scientific. From August 1, 2020, A.R. is an employee of Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.
