Table2:

Summary of features associated with various plaque morphotypes

Type of Plaque	Description	Common in	Possible Features	Example? Picture?
Diffuse Plaques (DP)	Lack a dense core usually large (50μm and more), moderate immunoreactive, amyloid bundles in the neuropil without degenerating neurites and accompanying microglia	Both AD and non-AD older brains	Generally do not induce a strong inflammatory response. Often found in cognitively normal aging brains.
Cored Plaques (CP)	Characterized by a dense core of amyloid surrounded by a halo/corona of prematured fibrils. Typically stains intensely with amyloid-binding dyes.	Typical for AD brains	Strongly linked with cognitive decline and commonly observed in symptomatic AD cases.
Neuritic Plaques (NP)	Include a dense core with surrounding corona, associated with neuritic processes, and with dystrophic neurites	Non-demented elderly individuals, represent asymptomatic or preclinical AD (pre-AD) but also in fAD.	Considered a hallmark of AD pathology and correlate with disease severity. Often surrounded by reactive glial cells. Distinguishable by MALDI MSI and PHF-1(IHC).
Fibrillar Plaques (FP)	Dense-core plaques that are thioflavin-S and Congo red positive, indicating the presence of fibrils and Aβx-40 peptide along with higher AβxpE-42		Associated with neuronal damage and are often surrounded by dystrophic neurites.
Coarse Grain Plaques (CG)	Subtype of FP, characterized by dense amyloid deposition without corona and more abundant neuritic component	Early onset AD and ApoE4	Show higher levels of Aβx-40 and less Aβx-42 compared to cored plaques. Linked to a higher degree of neuritic dystrophy.
Cotton Wool Plaques (CWP)	Large, amorphous, and fluffy plaques without a compact amyloid core, found in some familial AD cases.	Familial AD cases, presenilin-1 mutant cases of autosomal dominant AD	Associated with specific genetic mutations, but not necessarily. Typically lack a fibrillar structure and do not bind thioflavin-S..