Researchers discover key mechanisms behind synapse degeneration in Alzheimer’s brain

UC San Diego researchers discover key mechanisms behind synapse degeneration in Alzheimer’s brain
A. Localization of Wnt/PCP pathway signaling components in glutamatergic synapses in adult hippocampus detected by super-resolution microscopy. B. Schematic diagram showing the balance of Wnt/PCP signaling in synapse maintenance and the binding site of oligomeric amyloid beta. Credit: Feng et al., Sci. Adv. 2021

Healthy adult brains are endowed with a vast number of synapses, structures that relay signals across nerve cells to enable communications, information processing and storage throughout the nervous system. Apart from dynamic periods when the brain is learning new information or skills, the number of the “glutamatergic” synapses, the major type of synapses that neurons use to activate each other, largely remains constant in adults.

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