Key to progression of Alzheimer’s disease is the spread of toxic Tau protein from sick brain cells to healthy ones. New research found that, in mice, a protein called Arc helps spread toxic Tau. The results may ultimately help develop therapies that slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s by stopping toxic Tau from spreading before it infects healthy cells.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health has awarded a $2.15 million R01 research grant to Dr. Jayanth Ramadoss of the Wayne State University School of Medicine to investigate how maternal electronic cigarette exposure during pregnancy affects fetal brain development and to identify potential strategies to prevent or mitigate these effects.