Cells that normally nourish healthy brain cells called neurons release toxic fatty acids after neurons are damaged, a new study in rodents shows. This phenomenon is likely the driving factor behind most, if not all, diseases that affect brain function, as well as the natural breakdown of brain cells seen in aging, researchers say.
Previous research has pointed to astrocytes — a star-shaped glial cell of the central nervous system — as the culprits behind cell death seen in Parkinson’s disease and dementia, among other neurodegenerative diseases. While many experts believed that these cells released a neuron-killing molecule to “clear away” damaged brain cells, the identity of this toxin has until now remained a mystery.
Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the new investigation provides what they say is the first evidence that tissue damage prompts astrocytes to…
