Defective immune cells in the brain cause Alzheimer's disease
Mutations of the TREM2 gene can significantly increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Scientists from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich now shed light on the reasons why TREM2 is so important for brain health. They show that TREM2 activates brain immune cells to eliminate toxic deposits, first and foremost in the early stages of the disease. The study is published in the journal “Nature Neuroscience” and has important implications for the development of new drugs.
https://www.dzne.de/en/news/public-relations/press-releases/press/detail/defective-immune-cells-in-the-brain-cause-alzheimers-disease/ Complete press release
https://www.dzne.de/aktuelles/presse-und-oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/pressemitteilungen/presse/defekte-immunzellen-im-gehirn-verursachen-alzheimer/ German version
Originalpublikation:
Parhizkar et al. (2019): “Loss of TREM2 function increases amyloid seeding but reduces plaque-associated ApoE”, Nature Neuroscience, DOI: 10.1038/s41593-018-0296-9