Newswise — Researchers at the University of California San Diego have identified new mechanisms in neurons that cause Alzheimer’s disease. In particular, they discovered that changes in the structure of chromatin, the tightly coiled form of DNA, trigger neurons to lose their specialized function and revert to an earlier cell state. This results in the loss of synaptic connections, an effect associated with memory loss and dementia.
The findings are published Nov. 13 in Science Advances.
The study was founded on the question: how do neurons in patients with Alzheimer’s disease differ from neurons in healthy individuals?
“It’s a fundamental question that would provide the framework and foundation for understanding Alzheimer’s disease at the cellular level, and thus pave the path for novel therapeutic approaches,” said Shankar Subramaniam, professor of…
