U.S. Study Says Lithium in Tap Water Does Not Fend Off Dementia
Prior evidence for protective effect evaporates after adjustment for demographic differences in high- and low-lithium communities.
NEWS
Cerebrovascular Disease: Does Tau Mediate Cognitive Decline?
PET study finds tau signal associated with markers of cerebrovascular disease and cognitive issues.
To Deliver Itself From Cell to Cell, Phospho-Tau Uses UPS
Not the brown trucks with the friendly delivery guys: UPS as in unconventional protein secretion pathway. Tau rides it to slink out of one cell, and, grabbing onto heparin sulfate proteoglycans, enter another.
Liver Tox Ends Janssen BACE Program
The company has halted all trials of atabecestat.
“Nanosweeper” Brushes Aβ into Cellular Dustbins
Engineered nanoparticles snatched extracellular Aβ, ferried it into cells, and switched on autophagy, clearing the peptide from the brains of mice. Would this work as a drug?
No, TDP-43 and FUS Are Not Actively Exported From the Nucleus
Contrary to previous findings, both proteins seem to escape via passive diffusion. This has implications for therapeutic strategies to keep them where they belong.
Oligodendrocytes Seem to Imprint Specific Alter Ego on α-Synuclein
Aggregates that form inside, or just pass through, oligodendrocytes take on the properties of the virulent strain that gives rise to multiple system atrophy.
Study Finds Sex Influences CSF Tau Levels in ApoE4 Carriers
ApoE4 raises CSF tau more in women than in men, suggesting sex may influence the risk of neurodegeneration, especially in amyloid-positive E4 carriers.
Virtual Exhibit Hall
Alzforum has just launched a Virtual Exhibit Hall, a place for companies to showcase their initatives, products, and services. We welcome our inaugrual exhibitors - Biogen, BioLegend, and The Jackson Laboratory and encourage our readers to explore their virtual booths here.
SPOTLIGHT
Liver Tox Ends Janssen BACE Program
Janssen will halt clinical development of its BACE inhibitor atabecestat, according to a May 17 statement on the company’s website. Increases in liver enzymes, a serious adverse event, were found in patients in clinical trials. The cause of the hepatotoxicity was not revealed. Some independent experts believe it may be unrelated to BACE inhibition. Other companies are testing BACE inhibitors in ongoing trials.
Study Highlights Tau Role in Vascular Dementia
Amyloid, tau, and vascular pathology often co-exist. The first PET study of tau tracer uptake in people with well-defined cerebrovascular disease finds increased AV1451 uptake occurs independently of concurrent amyloid pathology. Tau signal in the inferior temporal cortex correlates with vascular disease load and cognitive decline.
What Controls α-Synuclein Strain Formation? Try Cell Type
Why do different strains of the same prion-like protein occur in different diseases? New research suggests a surprising answer: The cell type is to blame. Researchers claim that aggregates of α-synuclein that form in, or even pass through, oligodendrocytes take on more toxic properties than strains found in neurons. The findings may explain why multiple system atrophy, which is characterized by glial deposits of α-synuclein, progresses more rapidly than Parkinson’s disease.
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