Via recently discovered channels, freshly made monocytes and B cells in the bone marrow of the skull and vertebrae travel directly into the meninges, where they stand ready to infiltrate the brain. These immune cells are distinct from their blood-borne counterparts.
Certain neurons crank up ApoE expression with age in mice. Ditto with AD progression in people. These same neurons ramp up immune response genes. The shift could foreshadow their demise.
In the plaque-ridden mouse brain, microglia that had taken up Aβ activated a unique gene-expression profile. It faded after microglia were moved to plaque-free environs.
In postmortem brain, proteins involved in all manner of vesicular functions waxed or waned with increasing phases of disease, starting years prior to symptoms.
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.
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.
Unlike iPSC-derived neurons, those created directly from fibroblasts reflect the donor's age and disease status. Epigenetic modifications appear to make the difference.
In early stage trials, light and sound promoted neuronal communication, calmed immune cells, and slowed brain atrophy, but cognitive benefit remains unclear.