Amyloid and Tau (IMAGE)
Caption
In Alzheimer's, amyloid clumps (blue) develop first in the brain, followed by tangles of the protein tau (red). Tau is associated with memory loss and confusion. People with a genetic variant that hobbles immune cells in their brains (image at right) accumulate more tau near amyloid plaques than people with fully functional immune cells (left). Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that immune cells that typically protect neurons from damage may be the link between such early and late brain changes in Alzheimer's disease. Breaking that link could lead to new approaches to delay or prevent the disease.
Credit
Cheryl Leyns and Maud Gratuze
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