"New research shows that fat buildup in brain cells may be fueling Alzheimer's. These fat-choked cells lose their ability to protect the brain, making it harder to fight off damage. Scientists discovered that breaking down this fat restores the brain's defenses. The findings could point to a fresh path for future treatments. It was long thought that fat in the brain played no role in neurodegenerative diseases, but Purdue University researchers are challenging that assumption."
"While most Alzheimer's drug development targets the primary pathologies of the disease -- plaques of a misfolded protein called amyloid beta and tangles of the protein tau -- Chopra is focused on the abnormally fat-rich cells surrounding diseased regions of the brain. In earlier work published in Nature, Chopra and collaborators showed that, in the presence of disease, astrocytes -- another type of cells that support neurons -- release a fatty acid that is toxic to brain cells."
Microglia accumulate excess fat in diseased brain regions, impairing their ability to clear damage and protect neurons. Fat-choked microglia exhibit reduced immune function that compromises brain defenses. Breaking down accumulated lipids restores microglial function and renews the brain’s protective responses. Astrocytes release a fatty acid in disease that is toxic to neurons, contributing to lipid stress in the neural environment. Mitochondrial dysfunction in neurons associates with fat deposits in glial cells during aging, linking lipid dysregulation to neurodegeneration risk. Targeting lipid biology in neuroimmune cells represents a therapeutic avenue distinct from amyloid and tau-focused approaches.
Read at ScienceDaily
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