WASHINGTON, D.C. — Advanced techniques in cellular analysis are contributing to a better understanding of how brain immune cells, also known as microglia, contribute to healthy function and dysregulation in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2021, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
Recent research suggests microglia play a key role in the development and progression of AD and other neurodegenerative disorders. A better understanding of microglial dysfunction may help explore signs and mechanisms of disease, clarify their interaction with genetic risk factors, and enable microglia as a potential therapeutic target.
Today's new findings show:
- Cultured human microglia can model AD-associated microglial states, allowing identification of genetic regulators and potential new therapeutic approaches (Beth A. Stevens, Boston Children's Hospital/Broad Institute).
- Dysfunctional microglia differentiate the brains of individuals with AD from the brains of healthy, older individuals (Ryan Shahidehpour, University of Kentucky).
- Distinct subpopulations of microglia are found near pathogenic features such as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in brain tissue from individuals with AD, correlating with AD disease progress and clinical prognosis (Bahareh Ajami, Oregon Health and Science University).
"The technical advances presented today provide important insights into the role that immune cells play in the biology of Alzheimer's disease," said Li Gan, director of the Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College, who studies the molecular mechanisms of AD and other dementias. "These findings contribute to the growing evidence that immune pathways contribute to the progression of many neurodegenerative diseases and offer new avenues for potential treatments."
