They Discover The Origin Of 30% Of Alzheimer’s Amyloid Plaques
Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease that affects millions of people in the world and is included in dementia diseases, of which it is the most common. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), corresponding to March 2023, 10 million new cases of dementia are diagnosed every year around the planet, which can give us an idea of ​​the importance of discovering a suitable drug for the treatment of related diseases.
To date, most experts agreed that only neurons are the producers of beta amyloid. the main toxin responsible for the formation of plaques in the brain that prevent, among other things, synapses or neuronal connections and, therefore, produce the significant cognitive impairment characteristic of Alzheimer’s.
However, Recent research based on experiments with mice proposes an alternative result which could play a major role in the development of appropriate drugs to treat this disease.
The importance of amyloids in the formation of Alzheimer’s
AD or Alzheimer’s (named after its discoverer, Alois Alzheimer, in 1906) is a neurodegenerative disease whose main characteristics are the deterioration of the person’s cognitive abilities. Today there is no cure and it is a terminal illness.
According to the WHO recommendations, a healthy lifestyle, consisting of a rich and varied diet, regular exercise and the non-consumption of toxic substances such as tobacco or alcohol can help prevent Alzheimer’s, although these are not absolute conditions. . Specifically, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol, as well as blood pressure, can have very beneficial effects on our brain and, therefore, in preventing dementia.
The main role that amyloids play in the progression of Alzheimer’s has long been known. Amyloids are abnormal proteins that, once deposited in certain organs, can cause serious damage such as the appearance of the so-called amyloid plaques or senile plaques.
These plaques are found in the brain and their accumulation can cause a significant deterioration in brain functions; among them, the appearance of Alzheimer’s, its main related disease. However, recent research suggests that there may be other neurodegenerative diseases related to it, such as Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body disease, a disorder that impairs behavior, thinking and mobility.
It is known that neurons are producers of this toxin. However, a recent study, led by the Dementia Research Institute at University College London, points to another possibility: that Oligodendrocytes, myelinating cells of the central nervous system, may be partly responsible for the process..
What are oligodendrocytes and what role do they play in the progression of Alzheimer’s?
This study observed that oligodendrocytes also play a crucial role in producing amyloids that subsequently generate plaques that obstruct neuronal communication.
Oligodendrocytes (also known as oligodredroglia) are crucial cells for the central nervous system, as they They are responsible for supporting the axons (the arms of neurons) in vertebrates. As can be deduced, the production of beta amyloid in these cells may be part of the cause of the formation of amyloid plaques which, together with those produced by neurons, would lead to degeneration.
It was observed that, in the sample mice with dementia, selective suppression of the production of beta amyloids produced by oligodendrocytes generated a favorable response to return normal activity to neurons. This discovery opens the possibility of generating new drugs that are much more effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s.
Thus, the authors of the research maintain that the conclusions demonstrate that it is not only neurons that are responsible for the generation of amyloid plaques, but that oligodendrocytes also contribute their part in the process. In this sense, the conclusions contradict the theory, held for many years, that only neurons participated in the production of beta amyloids, responsible for cognitive deterioration.
The importance of the discovery lies, above all, in the knowledge of the production mechanism of these toxic proteins, a key issue to develop new solutions that effectively combat the progression of Alzheimer’s. The confirmation of the participation of oligodendrocytes in the formation of amyloid plaques opens a new window to experimentation in this sense, with the aim of combating dementia that, currently and according to the WHO, some 50 million people in the world suffer from. .
