Dennis W. Dickson — Leading Neuropathologist

Dennis W. Dickson, MD — Leading Neuropathologist

Dennis W. Dickson, MD is a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the [Mayo Clinic](/institutions/mayo-clinic) in Jacksonville, Florida, and one of the most internationally recognized neuropathologists specializing in neurodegenerative diseases. With over 600 peer-reviewed publications and more than 60,000 citations, his work has fundamentally shaped the classification, diagnostic criteria, and mechanistic understanding of tauopathies, synucleinopathies, TDP-43 proteinopathies, and Alzheimer's disease.

He serves as the Director of the Mayo Clinic Brain Bank for Neurodegenerative Disorders, one of the largest and most extensively characterized brain bank resources in the world, providing tissue for hundreds of research studies annually.

Education and Training

Dennis W. Dickson, MD — Leading Neuropathologist

Dennis W. Dickson, MD is a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the [Mayo Clinic](/institutions/mayo-clinic) in Jacksonville, Florida, and one of the most internationally recognized neuropathologists specializing in neurodegenerative diseases. With over 600 peer-reviewed publications and more than 60,000 citations, his work has fundamentally shaped the classification, diagnostic criteria, and mechanistic understanding of tauopathies, synucleinopathies, TDP-43 proteinopathies, and Alzheimer's disease.

He serves as the Director of the Mayo Clinic Brain Bank for Neurodegenerative Disorders, one of the largest and most extensively characterized brain bank resources in the world, providing tissue for hundreds of research studies annually.

Education and Training

Dr. Dickson received his MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where he developed his foundational interest in neuropathology during medical school research rotations. He completed his pathology residency and neuropathology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, studying under the renowned neuropathologist Dr. John Bergestrom and other leaders in the field.

Following fellowship, he joined the faculty at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, where he built the neurodegenerative disease brain bank and research program that became one of the world's premier centers for neuropathological research.

Research Focus

Neuropathological Classification of Tauopathies

Dr. Dickson has been central to establishing the modern classification of tauopathies:

• 2021 Lancet Neurology review: A comprehensive update on tauopathy classification synthesized the field's progress since the first pathological consensus criteria, covering PSP, CBD, AGD, PART, AGG, and primary age-related tauopathy (PART)[@dickson2021tau]
• 2019 non-AD tauopathy review: "Neuropathology of non-AD tauopathies" systematically reviewed the neuropathological features, diagnostic criteria, and clinical correlations for PSP, CBD, argyrophilic grain disease (AGD), and primary age-related tauopathy (PART)[@dickson2019nonad]
• 2018 Nature tau filament paper: As a contributor to the international team that determined the cryo-EM structures of tau filaments from Alzheimer's disease, PSP, CBD, and Pick disease, Dr. Dickson's group provided the patient material and neuropathological validation that enabled the structural classification of tauopathies based on filament conformations[@dickson2018strain]
• Precision medicine framework: A 2020 Brain Pathology paper contributed to the framework for moving tauopathies toward precision medicine based on molecular pathology rather than clinical syndrome[@dickson2020precision]

Alzheimer's Disease Neuropathology

Dr. Dickson's contributions to AD neuropathology are foundational:

• 2022 comprehensive review: "Neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease" in Acta Neuropathologica provided the definitive review of AD neuropathological changes — amyloid-beta plaques (diffuse and neuritic), neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), and associated neurodegenerative changes — along with the ABC scoring system for AD neuropathological change[@dickson2022ad]
• 2023 international consensus criteria: Dr. Dickson co-authored the international consensus criteria for the neuropathological diagnosis of AD, establishing the framework that integrates amyloid (A), tau (T), and neurodegeneration (N) biomarkers with neuropathological assessment. This consensus document harmonized criteria previously differing between NIA-AA and CERAD systems[@dickson2023criteria]
• ABC scoring: The Mayo Clinic contribution of the "ABC" score — A (staged amyloid phase), B (Braak NFT stage), C (CERAD plaque density) — has become the standard integrated scoring system for AD neuropathological change

Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD)

Dr. Dickson's work on FTLD has been pivotal for the field:

• 2014 harmonized classification: The international consensus criteria for FTLD classification that Dr. Dickson co-authored established the current framework — FTLD-tau (PSP, CBD, Pick disease, AGD, NFT dementia, GGT, etc.), FTLD-TDP (types A, B, C, D, E), FTLD-FUS, and FTLD-UPS[@dickson2014ftld]
• 2022 molecular classification: A 2022 update on FTLD molecular classification provided harmonization guidelines for integrating genetic, biochemical (sarkosyl-insoluble tau/TDP/FUS), and neuropathological findings into a unified classification system[@dickson2022ftld]
• 2025 FTLD genetic study: Whole-genome sequencing in FTLD-TDP cohorts identified distinct genetic risk factors for different pathological subtypes, revealing that C9orf72, GRN, and TBK1 variants associate with specific TDP-43 inclusion patterns[@dickson2025ftld]
• 2025 methylation study: Epigenomic profiling of FTLD brains identified disease-specific DNA methylation signatures that reflect underlying protein pathology and could serve as biomarkers of specific FTLD subtypes[@dickson2025methylome]
• C9orf72 FTLD neuropathology: The 2015 characterization of brain pathology in C9orf72 mutation carriers established the neuropathological spectrum of this most common genetic cause of FTLD and ALS[@dickson2015alsftld]

Parkinson's Disease and Synucleinopathies

Dr. Dickson's contributions extend to Lewy body disorders:

• 2013 synucleinopathy review: "Synucleinopathies: neuropathology and clinical correlates" synthesized the field's understanding of Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and pure autonomic failure as the spectrum of alpha-synucleinopathies[@dickson2013alphasyn]
• 2017 assessment criteria: "Neuropathological assessment of Parkinson's disease and related disorders" established the standard postmortem evaluation protocol for PD, including alpha-synuclein immunostaining for detecting incidental Lewy body cases[@dickson2017classification]

Brain Banking and Infrastructure

The Mayo Clinic Jacksonville Brain Bank under Dr. Dickson's direction is a foundational resource for the field:

• Scale: The brain bank contains over 6,000 cases spanning neurodegenerative diseases, healthy aging, and non-neurological controls
• Standardized protocols: Every case follows a standardized protocol — detailed clinical notes, neuropathological dissection, tissue block collection, and comprehensive immunohistochemistry — enabling comparative research across the entire collection
• Multi-omics integration: The brain bank has been linked to genomic (GWAS, WGS), transcriptomic (RNA-seq), proteomic, and metabolomic datasets, creating a multi-omics resource for neurodegeneration research
• International access: Tissue from the Mayo Brain Bank has been distributed to over 300 research institutions worldwide, enabling thousands of studies

Single-Cell and iPSC Research

Recent work leverages modern technologies:

• 2024 single-cell atlas: A 2024 Cell paper provided single-cell transcriptomic dissection of human motor and prefrontal cortices in ALS and FTLD, identifying cell-type-specific vulnerability signatures and transcriptional programs dysregulated in specific neuronal and glial populations[@dickson2024single]
• 2024 iPSC tauopathy model: Dr. Dickson contributed the neuropathological validation and patient tissue for a study using human iPSC models of 4R tauopathies to identify modifiers of tau propagation[@dickson2024ipsc]

Microglia and Neuroinflammation

A newer research direction has been the role of microglia in neurodegeneration:

• 2025 rod microglia study: A landmark study identified rod-shaped microglia — highly elongated, bipolar microglia — as a specific morphological response in TDP-43-related neurodegeneration, showing that these cells form trans-synaptic contacts that dampen cortical excitability, suggesting an adaptive rather than purely destructive role[@dickson2025microglia]
• 2025 ABCA7-AD study: Investigation of ABCA7 (a GWAS-linked AD risk gene) demonstrated that neuronal deficiency of this transporter aggravates mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration, linking lipid homeostasis to neuronal survival[@dickson2025abca7]

Neuroimaging-Neuropathology Correlations

Dr. Dickson's work has also connected in vivo imaging to postmortem findings:

• 2012 Brain paper: "Magnetic resonance imaging and neuropathology in aging and neurodegenerative disease" correlated ante-mortem MRI findings with quantitative neuropathological measures, establishing the anatomical specificity of atrophy patterns for different disease entities[@dickson2012mri]
• Tau PET validation: While not primarily an imaging researcher, his group has validated tau PET findings against postmortem tau burden, establishing the biological basis and limitations of tau PET in 4R tauopathies

Role in Aging Research

A 2016 Nature Reviews Neurology review on "Ageing and neurodegenerative disease: neuropathology" situated neurodegenerative changes within the broader context of normal brain aging, including the high prevalence of AD neuropathological changes in cognitively normal elderly individuals[@dickson2016aging].

Key Contributions to Diagnostic Criteria

Dr. Dickson has been instrumental in developing consensus diagnostic criteria for:

Leadership Roles

• Director: Mayo Clinic Brain Bank for Neurodegenerative Disorders
• Principal Investigator: NIH-funded research grants on tauopathy classification and FTLD
• Editor: Associate editor for Acta Neuropathologica, Brain Pathology
• Reviewer: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Alzheimer's Association, Michael J. Fox Foundation grant reviews
• Scientific Advisory Board: CurePSP, Lewy Body Dementia Association, Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration

Collaborations

Dr. Dickson's work spans major international consortia:

• ARTFL/LEFFTDS: Accelerating Medicines Partnership for Alzheimer's Disease / Frontotemporal Degeneration (AMP-AD/FTLD) — contributing brain bank samples and neuropathological expertise
• International PSP Study Group (IPPSG): Mayo brain bank provides the neuropathological reference standard for international PSP studies
• Human Brain Project: Contributing to the European multi-center brain bank network
• Center for Alzheimer's and Related Dementias (CARD): NIA-funded center leveraging the Mayo brain bank for mechanistic studies

Institutional Context

The [Mayo Clinic](/institutions/mayo-clinic) in Jacksonville provides Dr. Dickson with:

• World-class neuropathology facilities and resources
• Integration with the Mayo Clinic's clinical movement disorder and dementia programs
• Access to the largest and most diverse neurodegenerative disease cohort in the US
• Research infrastructure including histology, imaging, genomics, and proteomics cores
• Funding from NIH, foundations (CurePSP, Lewy Body Dementia Association, AFTD, Alzheimer's Association), and industry

Cross-Links

• [Mayo Clinic](/institutions/mayo-clinic) — Institution](/institutions)
• [Progressive Supranuclear Palsy](/diseases/progressive-supranuclear-palsy) — Primary disease focus
• [Corticobasal Degeneration](/diseases/corticobasal-degeneration) — Second disease focus
• [Alzheimer's Disease](/diseases/alzheimers-disease) — Key disease focus
• [Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration](/diseases/frontotemporal-lobar-degeneration) — Key disease focus
• [Parkinson's Disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease) — Synucleinopathy context](/proteins/parkin)
• [Tau Protein](/proteins/tau) — Molecular target](/proteins)
• [TDP-43 Proteinopathy](/entities/tdp-43-proteinopathy) — FTLD molecular pathology](/entities)
• [Brain Banking](/diseases/dementia-lewy-bodies) — Infrastructure contribution
• [Bradley F. Boeve](/researchers/bradley-bove) — Mayo colleague

Selected Publications

Recent Research (2026)

Recent PubMed-indexed publications (2025-present):