Neuroinflammation is the key driver of the spread of pathologically misfolded proteins in the brain and causes cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine reveal in a paper published today in Nature Medicine.
For the first time ever, the researchers showed in living patients that neuroinflammation — or activation of the brain’s resident immune cells, called microglial cells — is not merely a consequence of disease progression; rather, it is a key upstream mechanism that is indispensable for disease development.
“As a young resident neurologist in my home country of Brazil, I noticed that many patients with Alzheimer’s disease are left neglected and without access to appropriate care,” said lead author Tharick Pascoal, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and neurology at Pitt. “Our research…
