The first steps of endocytosis faltered in astrocytes expressing ApoE4, but pumping in PICALM reversed the problem. A new study places two Alzheimer’s risk factors into the same cellular mechanism.
In a mouse model of cortical multiple sclerosis, microglia and monocytes swooped in to gobble up synapses when dendritic calcium rose. Spines grew back once inflammation subsided.
The first whole-genome manipulation of protein expression in neurons by CRISPR reveals a deadly chain of events. Bad processing by lysosomes leads to build-up of lipids and iron. Oxidative stress revs up. Neurons die by ferroptosis.
According to a structural analysis, fluorescently tagged tau fragments cannot form paired helical filaments. This suggests the assay does not measure prion-like propagation.
When these tiny mural cells carried APOE4, they secreted more ApoE, causing Aβ to deposit in capillary walls. Blocking ApoE production prevented angiopathy.
The first high-resolution look at LRRK2 implies that pathogenic mutations increase binding to microtubules by biasing the kinase domain toward a closed, active conformation.
A C9ORF72 polydipeptide repeat induces aggregation by direct interaction with TDP-43, while progranulin mutations that trigger microglial toxicity cause TDP-43 to accumulate via complement.
While one anti-Aβ antibody thwarts initial seeding of fibrils, and others keep fibrils from lengthening, aducanumab prevents oligomers forming on their surface. In vitro, that is.
The brain shrinkage due to verubecestat emerged quickly but did not worsen or cause neurodegeneration. Curiously, both verubecestat and lanabecestat dulled episodic memory and boosted verbal fluency.