Researchers developed a practical screening method using hippocampal volume measurements to identify patients with mixed Alzheimer's disease and limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) pathology. By analyzing brain scans from cognitively impaired participants, they found that those in the lowest quartile for hippocampal volume showed distinctive patterns of anterior hippocampal and amygdala shrinkage, along with accelerated memory and language decline. This represents a significant advance in dementia diagnostics, as LATE pathology—found in roughly 25% of adults over 85—has historically been impossible to detect without autopsy examination. The overlap between Alzheimer's and LATE symptoms creates diagnostic confusion that hampers both patient care and clinical trial design. The new quartile-based approach offers neurologists a straightforward tool using standard MRI scans to stratify patients more precisely. For clinical research, this method could dramatically improve trial participant selection by identifying those with pure Alzheimer's pathology versus mixed disease states. The validation in autopsy cases strengthens confidence in the approach, though broader replication across diverse populations will be essential before widespread clinical adoption.