Remodeling May Make Neurons More Prone to Alzheimer's Disease

A study published in Neuron suggests that neurons that regularly remodel links are more vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease and die when remodeling goes astray, reports News-Medical . The researchers used a machine learning architecture that combined neuron type-specific mouse experiments with human studies. The investigators compared two types of neurons susceptible to Alzheimer's with five resistant types. The susceptible neurons exhibited processes related to remodeling connections with adjacent cells. The implication is that aging and the accrual of amyloid-beta can cause the remodeling process to go awry, creating tangles of tau proteins that cause neuron death. "The question now is whether we can somehow make these neurons more resistant," said Rice University Professor Vicky Yao. The team hopes to find other traits that make neurons vulnerable to Alzheimer's. "Identifying the molecular characteristics of neurons that are especially vulnerable to neurodegeneration is important both for the basic understanding of Alzheimer's and for future development of better diagnostic and treatment options," said Princeton University Professor Olga Troyanskaya.