These data suggest that nuclear depletion of TDP-43, as evidenced by the presence of TDP-43 associated cryptic exons, causes gene expression alterations in several TDP-43 candidate mRNA targets including GPC6, linking this candidate target identified and functionally validated in Drosophila to TDP-43 pathology in FTD patient brains. Here, TARDBP is linked to frontotemporal dementia.