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Neurodegeneration refers to the progressive atrophy and loss of function of neurons, which is present in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
Tiny cellular tubes between neurons and brain cells called microglia serve as conduits for the export of toxic protein aggregates from neurons and the import of healthy organelles, keeping neurodegeneration at bay.
Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease characterised by accumulation of 4R-Tau protein in the brain. Transgenic zebrafish overexpressing human 4R-Tau showed rapid PSP-like phenotypes, allowing an unbiased small molecule screen coupled with reverse genetics to identify Brd4-dependent microglial synapse removal as a mechanism mediating neurological phenotypes.
Cognitively impaired subjects with both Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body pathology determined using in vivo CSF biomarkers showed faster global cognitive decline and more posterior cortical hypometabolism compared to those with AD pathology only.
Tiny cellular tubes between neurons and brain cells called microglia serve as conduits for the export of toxic protein aggregates from neurons and the import of healthy organelles, keeping neurodegeneration at bay.
Exposure to air pollution and living in a country with high socio-economic inequality are linked to a bigger gap between brain age and chronological age.
Amyloid-β peptides and tau proteins form filaments in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease. Using an electron microscopy approach to visualize thin slices of brain tissue in 3D, these filaments can be seen in their native environment.