In the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, there are abnormal deposits of amyloid beta protein and tau protein, and swarms of activated immune cells. But scientists do not fully understand how these three major factors combine to drive the disease. Now, UNC School of Medicine and National Institutes of Health researchers have untangled the mystery in lab experiments to reveal why one Alzheimer’s drug currently in development shows promise and how other therapies might reverse the disease process.
(Image caption: Neurons treated with Alzheimer’s-associated proteins exhibit drastic calcium increases (blue, green, yellow, red to white), and the cells form tau-filled beaded structures (shown with arrows) identical to neurons seen in Alzheimer’s patients. Credit: Cohen Lab, UNC School of Medicine)
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