In mice, polyamines boost autophagy and promote clearance of soluble Aβ species. In cells, they counteract tau aggregation. In the Alzheimer’s brain, their metabolism is ramped up. Could spermidine supplements prevent or treat AD?
In animals, polyamines such as spermidine enhance autophagy, rejuvenate mitochondria, and slow cognitive decline. Buzzword: hypusination. Human data not far behind.
In mice, an IgG4 version of semorinemab better protected neurons, but for AX004, an IgG1 version better cleared tau. How to make the choice?
The first detailed look at expression profiles in blood vessels of the human brain identifies new cell subtypes. These cells express 30 of the top 45 AD risk genes.
The APP/PS1 double knock-ins begin to deposit amyloid in the brain by 3 months of age.
The iPSC Neurodegenerative Disease Initiative is creating 100+ isogenic cell lines. Each carries a different risk variant for Alzheimer's or a related dementia. Scientists around the world can obtain the cells through Jackson Labs.
Machine learning analysis of 912 PET scans says neurofibrillary tangles spread through the AD brain in one of four distinct patterns.
The fewer their meningeal lymphatic vessels, the slower treated mice clear plaques. Lymphatic dysfunction also drives microglial activation, hinting at a role in pathology.
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, Abcam, BrainXell, and the Jackson Laboratory.
Made by our own cells, and also found in some foods we eat, polyamines are polycation molecules ascribed with a panoply of functions. Spermidine is one of the better-known ones. A handful of observational studies and small trials suggest polyamines might fend off cognitive aging, while in animal models they rev autophagy and give mitochondria a boost in the brain. Do polyamines play a role in neurodegeneration, and could spermidine supplements help? The field is young and complex, partly because polyamine metabolism changes with both aging and disease.
Encased in fibrous blood vessels, brain vascular cells are tough nuts to crack. Now, researchers have devised a way to break up the vascular material to release single nuclei for RNA sequencing. Their first map of gene expression in the human brain vasculature found differences as the vessels morphed from arteries to capillaries to veins. Some surprises included two distinct types of pericyte and two fibroblasts. Notably, vascular cells express 30 of the top 45 AD risk genes, hinting at a larger role for the vasculature in pathogenesis than had been thought.
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