Connectivity, Not Proximity, Predicts Tau Spread
Functional connections between two brain regions are the strongest indicator that pathologic, accumulated tau will spread from one to another.
NEWS
Is Too Much Vitamin B12 a Health Hazard?
When observed over an eight-year period, people with the highest plasma concentrations were more likely to die than people with lower levels.
Herpes Viruses and Alzheimer’s—The Debate Continues
New study finds no uptick in herpes viruses in AD. If herpes plays a role, it says, then probably it acts as an early trigger of pathology.
With a Shot of Adrenaline, Amyloid-β Sparks Tau Cascade
Aβ oligomers latch onto adrenergic receptors, mobilizing a kinase that phosphorylates tau. Blocking adrenergic signaling wards off memory problems in amyloidosis mice.
Paper Alert: Lipid Droplet-Filled Microglia Harm the Brain
These oily microglia resemble the foamy macrophages seen in atherosclerotic plaques. They correlate with aging, inflammation, and neurodegenerative disease.
Human and Mouse Microglia React Differently to Amyloid
Single-nucleus transcriptomics of postmortem AD brain and mouse models of amyloidosis hammers home the species-specific responses of microglia to Aβ pathology.
Vascular Dysfunction Taxes Cognition, but Not Via Amyloid, AD
Three studies found no link between vascular disease and cerebral amyloidosis.
Could New Glutamate Receptor Activators Treat Alzheimer’s?
Positive allosteric modulators improve learning and memory in mouse models of AD and epilepsy.
Virtual Exhibit Hall
Alzforum encourages users to visit the Virtual Exhibit Hall, where companies showcase their newest initiatives, products, and services. We welcome F. Hoffmann-La Roche, joining our other exhibitors — Biogen, BioLegend, Dash Genomics, Inc., Abcam, BrainXell, and the Jackson Laboratory.
SPOTLIGHT
Tau Cascade Sparked by Adrenergic Aβ?
An insidious middleman that seals the deadly deal between Aβ and tau could arise from the tiny locus coeruleus, the adrenergic center of the brain. Researchers reported that when noradrenaline binds adrenergic receptors that have also hooked Aβ, the resulting signaling cascade activates GSK-3β, a tau kinase. In the presence of noradrenaline, minuscule amounts of Aβ oligomers were sufficient to start the cascade, while adrenergic antagonists could stop it.
Human and Mouse Microglia React Differently to Amyloid
A new single-nucleus transcriptomic analysis confirms that microglial responses to amyloid vary by species. In mice, the cells dial down homeostatic genes and boost a disease-associated microglial signature, aka DAM. In AD brain, microglia turn up homeostatic genes and other AD genes such as SORL1. In both cases, however, mutation or loss of TREM2 weakens the microglial response, highlighting the critical role of this receptor.
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