Newswise — BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Will a reduction in tau protein in brain neurons protect against Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementias?
A new study, published in the journal eNeuro, suggests the answer is no. If this is borne out, that result differs from Alzheimer’s disease, where reducing endogenous tau levels in brain neurons is protective for multiple models of the disease — which further suggests that the role of tau in the pathogenesis of Lewy body dementias is distinct from Alzheimer’s disease.
Both Parkinson’s disease dementia and Lewy body dementia are characterized by intracellular aggregates of misfolded alpha-synuclein protein in brain neurons, and the two diseases together are the second most common cause of neurodegenerative dementia after Alzheimer’s.
University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers, led by Laura Volpicelli-Daley, Ph.D.,…
