The Scientists are working on activating the brains immune cells called microglia. What they expect to happen is to use an antibody to stimulate the microglia and get it to clear the harmful plaques in the brain. Now this would be wonderful as it not only would work with Alzheimer’s patients but Parkinson and ALS patients as well.
POINTS THEY MADE:
- Alzheimer’s drugs now currently taken by patients would not be stopped in doing their job of removing plaques.
- They call these plaques toxic protein clumps that are sticky and build up.
- Theses sticky plaques set off a chain of events resulting in atrophy of the brain and cognitive decline.
- This new treatment could possibly help other neurodegenerative diseases.
- Microglia surround the plaque and create a barrier controlling the spread of damaging proteins.
I believe ongoing research is absolutely necessary as they still have not removed plaques from the brain of humans although research in mice has afforded them an opportunity to continue their work.
Neuroscience News
Science Translational Medicine April 3, 2024
#researchdementia#neurodegeneratives#brain changes