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Does tau accumulation in the brain's "helper" cells affect brain related changes and the individual's cognitive decline?
Roberta Rodriguez
University of São Paulo
São Paulo, Brazil
Background
In a healthy brain, the brain cell's food transport system is organized in parallel strands- somewhat like railroad tracks, which allows food and nutrients to travel across the cell, feeding the nerve cells and keeping them fit. The tau protein helps keep these tracks stay straight. However, tau becomes modified during Alzheimer's, accumulates into harmful tangles within nerve cells and leads to cell damage. In Alzheimer's, the toxic tau tangles begin to form in brain areas involved in learning and memory and cause cognitive impairment.
Recent studies have found that tau can also accumulate within another group of brain cells called "astrocytes"- a special process called age-related tau astrogliopathy. Astrocytes are "helper cells" that serve many functions, including the maintenance of synapses — specialized structures through which nerve cells "talk" to one another. Scientists, however, are unclear whether tau astrogliopathy can actually damage brain function.
Dr. Roberta Rodriguez and colleagues note that most previous studies of tau astrogliopathy have been documented in Caucasian individuals with severe dementia. In these prior studies, the specific effects of tau astrogliopathy may be masked by many other disease-related processes occurring within their brains. To better determine how tau astrogliopathy specifically affects brain health, the investigators propose to study it in a broader range of brain types, including early stages of dementia and in multiple ethnic groups.
Research Plan
Dr. Rodriguez and colleagues will conduct a thorough analysis of tau astrogliopathy in the human brain. Using a local resource of post-mortem samples of over 800 individuals from a diverse population, the researchers will investigate the presence of tau astrogliopathy and its potential impact on brain health. Dr. Rodriguez plans to conduct the investigation by measuring the tau tangles in these brain samples using specialized microscopy.
Also, by using cutting-edge statistical techniques, the scientists plan to better understand the role of tau accumulation in astrocytes and whether it makes an individual more prone to cognitive decline.
Impact
The results of this effort could refine our understanding of how tau accumulation in astrocytes may be involved in the brain related changes seen in Alzheimer's and may be related to the individual's cognitive decline. Such work could lead to more sensitive methods of diagnosis and treatment.
This project is sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association, Colorado Chapter.
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