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Alzheimer & Parkinson

Pathological α-synuclein dysregulates epitranscriptomic writer METTL3 to drive neuroinflammation in microglia

18 hours 9 minutes ago
Recent reports suggest dysregulation of the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification may contribute to the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we show the m6A methyltransferase complex including METTL3-the catalytic component of the nuclear-localized complex-is robustly upregulated in human microglia and astrocytes exposed to αSyn(f) and Mn. Subcellular localization studies reveal METTL3 was predominantly cytoplasmic following Mn insult but remained nuclear following αSyn(f)...
Cameron Miller

Lysosomal TPC2 channels disrupt Ca2+ entry and dopaminergic function in models of LRRK2-Parkinson's disease

18 hours 9 minutes ago
Parkinson's disease results from degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we identify novel crosstalk between depolarization-induced entry of Ca2+ and lysosomal cation release in maintaining dopaminergic neuronal function. The common disease-causing G2019S mutation in LRRK2 selectively exaggerated Ca2+ entry in vitro. Chemical and molecular strategies inhibiting the lysosomal ion channel TPC2 reversed this. Using Drosophila, which...
Martina Gregori

Age-Dependent Regulation of Hippocampal Inflammation by the Mitochondrial Translocator Protein in Mice

18 hours 9 minutes ago
The mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) is a biomarker of inflammation associated with neurodegenerative diseases, widely regarded to be upregulated in the aging brain. Here we investigated the interaction between aging and TSPO immunomodulatory function in the mouse hippocampus, a region severely affected in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Surprisingly, we found that TSPO levels were decreased in brain innate immune populations in aging. Aging resulted in a reversal of TSPO knockout...
Kei Onn Lai

Transcriptional regulation by PHGDH drives amyloid pathology in Alzheimer's disease

1 day 18 hours ago
Virtually all individuals aged 65 or older develop at least early pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet most lack disease-causing mutations in APP, PSEN, or MAPT, and many do not carry the APOE4 risk allele. This raises questions about AD development in the general population. Although transcriptional dysregulation has not traditionally been a hallmark of AD, recent studies reveal significant epigenomic changes in late-onset AD (LOAD) patients. We show that altered expression of the LOAD...
Junchen Chen

Chemical imaging delineates Abeta plaque polymorphism across the Alzheimer's disease spectrum

1 day 18 hours ago
Amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaque formation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology is morphologically diverse. Understanding the association of polymorphic Aβ pathology with AD pathogenesis and progression is critical in light of emerging Aβ-targeting therapies. In this work, functional amyloid microscopy enhanced by deep learning was integrated with mass spectrometry imaging to delineate polymorphic plaques and to identify their associated Aβ make-up. In both sporadic AD (n = 12) and familial AD (n = 6),...
Srinivas Koutarapu

Defining essential charged residues in fibril formation of a lysosomal derived N-terminal α-synuclein truncation

2 days 18 hours ago
N- and C-terminal α-synuclein (α-syn) truncations are prevalent in Parkinson's disease. Effects of the N- and C-terminal residues on α-syn aggregation and fibril propagation are distinct, where the N-terminus dictates fibril structure. Here, the majority of α-syn truncations are assigned by intact mass spectrometry to lysosomal activity. To delineate essential charged residues in fibril formation, we selected an N-terminal truncation (66-140) that is generated solely from soluble α-syn by...
Ryan P McGlinchey

Loss of intracellular ATP affects axoplasmic viscosity and pathological protein aggregation in mammalian neurons

2 days 18 hours ago
Neurodegenerative diseases display synaptic deficits, mitochondrial defects, and protein aggregation. We show that intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) regulates axoplasmic viscosity and protein aggregation in mammalian neurons. Decreased intracellular ATP upon mitochondrial inhibition leads to axoterminal cytosol, synaptic vesicles, and active zone component condensation, modulating the functional organization of mouse glutamatergic synapses. Proteins involved in the pathogenesis of...
Laurent Guillaud

Simply crushed zizyphi spinosi semen prevents neurodegenerative diseases and reverses age-related cognitive decline in mice

2 days 18 hours ago
Neurodegenerative diseases are age-related disorders characterized by the cerebral accumulation of amyloidogenic proteins, and cellular senescence underlies their pathogenesis. Thus, it is necessary for preventing these diseases to remove toxic proteins, repair damaged neurons, and suppress cellular senescence. As a source for such prophylactic agents, we selected zizyphi spinosi semen (ZSS), a medicinal herb used in traditional Chinese medicine. Oral administration of ZSS hot water extract...
Tomohiro Umeda

APP β-CTF triggers cell-autonomous synaptic toxicity independent of Aβ

2 days 18 hours ago
Aβ is believed to play a significant role in synaptic degeneration observed in Alzheimer's disease and is primarily investigated as a secreted peptide. However, the contribution of intracellular Aβ or other cleavage products of its precursor protein (APP) to synaptic loss remains uncertain. In this study, we conducted a systematic examination of their cell-autonomous impact using a sparse expression system in rat hippocampal slice culture. Here, these proteins/peptides were overexpressed in a...
Menguxn Luo

The 15-Year Survival Advantage: Immune Resilience as a Salutogenic Force in Healthy Aging

2 days 18 hours ago
Human aging presents an evolutionary paradox: while aging rates remain constant, healthspan and lifespan vary widely. We address this conundrum via salutogenesis-the active production of health-through immune resilience (IR), the capacity to resist disease despite aging and inflammation. Analyzing ~17,500 individuals across lifespan stages and inflammatory challenges, we identified a core salutogenic mechanism: IR centered on TCF7, a conserved transcription factor maintaining T-cell stemness and...
Muthu Saravanan Manoharan

Alpha-synuclein mutations mislocalize cytoplasmic p300 compromising autophagy, which is rescued by ACLY inhibition

3 days 18 hours ago
Triplications and certain point mutations in the SNCA gene, encoding alpha-synuclein (α-Syn), cause Parkinson's disease (PD). Here, we demonstrate that the PD-causing A53T α-Syn mutation and elevated α-Syn expression perturb acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) and p300 biology in human neurons and in the CNS of zebrafish and mice. This dysregulation is mediated by activation of ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY), a key enzyme that generates acetyl-CoA in the cytoplasm, via two mechanisms. First, ACLY activity...
Sung Min Son

40 Hz sensory stimulation enhances CA3-CA1 coordination and prospective coding during navigation in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

3 days 18 hours ago
40 Hz sensory stimulation ("flicker") has emerged as a new technique to potentially mitigate pathology and improve cognition in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. However, it remains unknown how 40 Hz flicker affects neural codes essential for memory. Accordingly, we investigate the effects of 40 Hz flicker on neural representations of experience in the hippocampus of the 5XFAD mouse model of AD by recording 1,000s of neurons during a goal-directed spatial navigation task. We...
Abigail L Paulson

Association between social networking and dementia: A systematic review of observational studies

4 days 18 hours ago
Poor social networking (SN) is associated with the development of cognitive impairment and dementia. Our objective was to perform a systematic review of the evidence on the associations between SN and the incidence of dementia, disease pathology, level of cognition, and brain structure. Bibliographic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL) and additional sources (Open Gray, Google Scholar, manual searches) were screened through November 30, 2024. Observational studies assessing the...
Faheem Arshad

Perineuronal nets: Role in normal brain physiology and aging, and pathology of various diseases

5 days 18 hours ago
Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are a specialized extracellular matrix in the central nervous system. They are widely distributed in the brain, with distribution patterns varying by brain region. Their unique structure and composition allow them to play an important role in a range of physiological and pathological activities. In this article, we review the composition and structure of PNNs across different life stages, and provide a detailed analysis and comparison of the region-specific distribution...
Kaiqi Zhu

Targeting CD38 immunometabolic checkpoint improves metabolic fitness and cognition in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

5 days 18 hours ago
Protective immunity, essential for brain maintenance and repair, may be compromised in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, using high-dimensional single-cell mass cytometry, we find a unique immunometabolic signature in circulating CD4^(+) T cells preceding symptom onset in individuals with familial AD, featured by the elevation of CD38 expression. Using female 5xFAD mice, a mouse model of AD, we show that treatment with an antibody directed to CD38 leads to restored metabolic fitness, improved...
Javier María Peralta Ramos

Deep brain stimulation alleviates Parkinsonian motor deficits through desynchronizing GABA release in mice

6 days 18 hours ago
High-frequency deep brain stimulation (DBS) at subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an effective therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we find an important role of asynchronous release (AR) of GABA induced by high-frequency stimulation (HFS) in alleviating motor functions of dopamine-depleted male mice. Electrophysiological recordings reveal that 130-Hz HFS causes an initial inhibition followed by desynchronization of STN neurons, largely attributable...
Zongyi Xu
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5 hours 17 minutes ago
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