A hidden Alzheimer’s tipping point may decide who gets dementia
Researchers have identified a biological shift in microglia, the brain's immune cells, that may determine whether Alzheimer's pathology leads to clinical dementia. This discovery offers new potential pathways for developing treatments that enhance brain resilience.
Why it matters
Understanding why some individuals with Alzheimer's pathology remain cognitively healthy could lead to breakthrough therapies for preventing dementia.
Researchers from VIB, KU Leuven, the UK-DRI and Muna Therapeutics, with funding that included support from ERC, have identified a major biological shift that may help determine whether Alzheimer's disease changes in the brain eventually lead to dementia.
Using donated brain tissue from older adults with and without cognitive decline, along with samples from cognitively healthy centenarians, the team uncovered distinct cellular programs and immune cell states linked to both disease progression and resistance. The findings, published in Nature Medicine, point to changes in microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, as a potentially important focus for future Alzheimer's treatments.
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