Alzheimer’s disease is known for its slow attack on neurons crucial to memory and cognition. But why are these particular neurons in aging brains so susceptible to the disease’s ravages, while others remain resilient?
A new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine has found that susceptible neurons in the prefrontal cortex develop a “leak” in calcium storage with advancing age, they report April 8 in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. This disruption of calcium storage in turns leads to accumulation of phosphorylated, or modified, tau proteins which cause the neurofibrillary tangles in the brain that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
These changes occur slowly, building over many years, and can be seen within neurons in the brains of very old monkeys, the researchers report.
“Altered calcium signaling with advancing age is…
