Key path to Alzheimer's-like brain damage starts outside the brain
Immune cells that normally protect the body from damage by attacking foreign or infected cells are found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders at much higher levels than in healthy brains. The cells appear to contribute to neurodegeneration, but where they come from and how they are primed to accumulate in the brain was not known.
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine have discovered that immune cells called T cells, which are typically found outside the brain, can contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease. These T cells receive instructions from lymph nodes outside the brain, which in turn can lead to neurodegeneration. This finding reveals a previously unknown pathway that could potentially slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer's and related diseases known as primary tauopathies.
The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggests that targeting these T cells may offer a new avenue for treating these conditions.
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