- Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.
- The precise causes of the condition are still being fleshed out.
- For many years, scientists have concentrated on the role of proteins, but this focus is shifting.
- A new study concludes that lipid droplets in specific brain cells may be critical.
Characterized by neurodegeneration and a progressive loss of thinking skills, Alzheimer’s disease still holds many mysteries.
Globally, 55 million people are affected by dementia and by 2050 experts expect this figure to be 139 million.
Despite years of research, the precise mechanisms has been elusive.
A recent study, however, adds another piece to the puzzle.
For the past few decades, scientists have focused on protein build-up in neurons as the lynchpin of Alzheimer’s. So-called plaques and tangles coalesce in neurons and these hallmarks are linked to brain cell death.
Scientists recently designed drugs to clear these proteins, but they are
More recently, the focus has shifted toward the role of lipid droplets in brain cells.
A new
The gene most strongly correlated with risk is the APOE gene. There are various forms of this gene and the one that carries the
APOE is involved in lipid processing and in people with Alzheimer’s, the gene’s activity is
The increased activity by APOE causes lipid droplets to build up within the cells. However, to date, it has been unclear whether this buildup is protective, benign, or harmful.
To investigate, the researchers analyzed brain tissue from people who died with Alzheimer’s and a control group who did not have Alzheimer’s.
They measured gene expression within single cells to understand which genes are “turned on.”
Medical News Today spoke with one of the study’s authors,
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