Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis studied mice with Alzheimer’s-like brain damage caused by the protein tau and found that microglia attract powerful T cells that can kill brain cells. By blocking the entry or activation of these T cells, the researchers were able to prevent most of the neurodegeneration.
As the disease progresses, individuals may experience confusion, disorientation, mood and personality changes, difficulty communicating, and ultimately, difficulty with basic bodily functions. While there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, there are medications and lifestyle interventions that can help manage symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.
Microglia and their role in Alzheimer’s have been intensely studied. The cells become activated and dysfunctional as amyloid plaques build up, and even more so once tau begins to aggregate. Microglial dysfunction worsens neurodegeneration and accelerates the course of the disease. The researchers found many more T cells in the brains of tau mice than the brains of amyloid or comparison mice. Notably, T cells were most plentiful in the parts of the brain with the most degeneration and the highest concentration of microglia. T cells were similarly abundant at sites of tau aggregation and neurodegeneration in the brains of people who had died with Alzheimer’s disease.
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