The plaque deposits
in the brain of Alzheimer's patients are surrounded by the brain's own immune
cells, the microglia. This was already recognized by Alois Alzheimer more than
one hundred years ago. But until today it still remains unclear what role microglia
play in Alzheimer's disease. Do they help to break down the plaque deposit? A
study by researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC)
Berlin-Buch and Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin has now shed light on
these mysterious microglia during the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Grietje Krabbe of
the laboratory of Professor Helmut Kettenmann (MDC) and Dr. Annett Halle of the
Neuropathology Department of the Charité headed by Professor Frank Heppner
demonstrated that the microglial cells around the deposits do not show the
classical activation pattern in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. On the
contrary, in the course of the Alzheimer's disease they lose two of their
biological functions. Both their ability to remove cell fragments or harmful
structures and their directed process motility towards acute lesions are
impaired. The impact of the latter loss-of-function needs further
investigation. The plaques consist of protein fragments, the beta-amyloid
peptides, which in Alzheimer's disease are deposited in the brain over the
course of years. They are believed to be involved in destroying the nerve cells
of the affected patients, resulting in an incurable cognitive decline.
However,
just why the microglial cells, which cluster around the deposits, are
inactivated or lose their functionality is still not fully understood. The
researchers concluded that this process occurs
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