Alzheimer & Parkinson

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a widely studied phenomenon since the underlying molecular mechanisms are widely believed to be critical for learning and memory and their dysregulation has been implicated in many brain disorders affecting cognitive functions. Central to the induction of LTP, in most pathways that have been studied in the mammalian CNS, is the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). Philippe Ascher discovered that the NMDAR is subject to a rapid, highly voltage-dependent block by...

Recent studies indicated that the dysregulation of mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane (MAM) could be a significant hub in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, little has been known about how MAM altered in PD. This study was aimed to observe morphological changes and analyze proteomic profiles of MAM in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mouse models. In MPTP-treated mice, transmission electron microscopy was applied for MAM...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and neurodegenerative disease characterized by neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and amyloid plaque. Familial AD is caused by mutations in the APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 genes and these mutations result in the early onset of the disease. Sporadic AD usually affects older adults over the age of 65 years and is, therefore classified as late-onset AD (LOAD). Several risk factors associated with LOAD including the APOE gene have been identified....

Transcranial brain stimulation is a promising technology for safe modulation of brain function without invasive procedures. Recent advances in transcranial optogenetic techniques with external light sources, using upconversion particles and highly sensitive opsins, have shown promise for precise neuromodulation with improved spatial resolution in deeper brain regions. However, these methods have not yet been used to selectively excite or inhibit specific neural populations in multiple brain...

Rare mutations in the gene encoding presenilin2 (PSEN2) are known to cause familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD). Here, we explored how altered PSEN2 expression impacts on the amyloidosis, endolysosomal abnormalities, and synaptic dysfunction observed in female APP knock-in mice. We demonstrate that PSEN2 knockout (KO) as well as the FAD-associated N141IKI mutant accelerate AD-related pathologies in female mice. Both models showed significant deficits in working memory that linked to elevated PSEN2...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by extracellular amyloid plaques and neuronal Tau tangles. A recent study found that the APOE3 Christchurch (APOECh) variant could delay AD progression. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we established neuron-microglia co-cultures and neuroimmune organoids using isogenic APOE3 and APOECh microglia derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) with PSEN1 mutant...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) presents a complex pathological landscape, posing challenges to current therapeutic strategies that primarily target amyloid-β (Aβ). Using a novel integrative pathway activity analysis (IPAA), we identified 83 dysregulated pathways common between both post-mortem AD brains and three-dimensional AD cellular models showing robust Aβ42 accumulation. p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was the most upregulated common pathway. Active p38 MAPK levels increased in the...

Plethora of research has shed light on the critical role of synaptic dysfunction in various neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs), including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington's disease (HD). Synapses, the fundamental units for neural communication in the brain, are highly vulnerable to pathological conditions and are central to the progression of neurological diseases. The presynaptic terminal, a key component of synapses...

Neuroinflammation is closely related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). One of its prominent cellular components, microglia, is a potent coordinator of neuroinflammation in interplay with the characteristic AD pathological alterations including Aβ, tau, and neuronal defects, which constitute the AD-unique extracellular microenvironment. Mounting evidence implicates Triggering Receptors Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 (TREM2) in the center of microglial activation, a vital event in the...

Exon skipping technologies enable exclusion of targeted exons from mature mRNA transcripts, which have broad applications in medicine and biotechnology. Existing techniques including antisense oligonucleotides, targetable nucleases, and base editors, while effective for specific applications, remain hindered by transient effects, genotoxicity, and inconsistent exon skipping. To overcome these limitations, here we develop SPLICER, a toolbox of next-generation base editors containing near-PAMless...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other age-related disorders associated with demyelination exhibit sex differences. In this work, we used single-nuclei transcriptomics to dissect the contributions of sex chromosomes and gonads in demyelination and AD. In a mouse model of demyelination, we identified the roles of sex chromosomes and gonads in modifying microglia and oligodendrocyte responses before and after myelin loss. In an AD-related mouse model expressing APOE4, XY sex chromosomes heightened...

Brain-wide association studies (BWAS) are a fundamental tool in discovering brain-behaviour associations^(1,2). Several recent studies have shown that thousands of study participants are required for good replicability of BWAS^(1-3). Here we performed analyses and meta-analyses of a robust effect size index using 63 longitudinal and cross-sectional MRI studies from the Lifespan Brain Chart Consortium⁴ (77,695 total scans) to demonstrate that optimizing study design is critical for increasing...

Dementia is an increasing disorder, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the cause of 60% of all dementia cases. Despite all efforts, there is no cure for stopping dementia progression. Recent studies reported potential effects of psychedelics on neuroinflammation during AD. Psychedelics by 5HT(2A)R activation can reduce proinflammatory cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-6) and inhibit neuroinflammation. In addition to neuroinflammation suppression, psychedelics induce neuroplasticity by increasing...

Aging has profound effects on the body, most notably an increase in the prevalence of several diseases. An important aging hallmark is the presence of senescent cells that no longer multiply nor die off properly. Another characteristic is an altered immune system that fails to properly self-surveil. In this multi-player aging process, cellular senescence induces a change in the secretory phenotype, known as senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), of many cells with the intention of...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is marked by the presence of intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which are primarily composed of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. The locus coeruleus (LC), the brain's main source of norepinephrine (NE), is one of the earliest regions to develop NFTs and experience neurodegeneration in AD. While LC-derived NE plays beneficial roles in cognition, emotion, locomotion, and the sleep-wake cycle, its impact on tau pathology is unclear. To explore this relationship,...

Protein post-translational modifications (PTM) play a crucial role in the modulation of synaptic function and their alterations are involved in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders. S-palmitoylation is a PTM catalyzed by zinc finger DHHC domain containing (zDHHC) S-acyltransferases that affects both localization and activity of proteins regulating synaptic plasticity and amyloid-β (Aβ) metabolism. Here, we found significant increases of both zDHHC7 expression and protein...

Synaptic loss and dendritic degeneration are common pathologies in several neurodegenerative diseases characterized by progressive cognitive and/or motor decline, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FTD/ALS). An essential regulator of neuronal health, the cAMP-dependent transcription factor CREB positively regulates synaptic growth, learning, and memory. Phosphorylation of CREB by protein kinase A (PKA) and other cellular kinases promotes...

Disorder and flexibility in protein structures are essential for biological function but can also contribute to diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders. However, characterizing protein folding on a proteome-wide scale within biological matrices remains challenging. Here we present a method using a bifunctional chemical probe, named TME, to capture in situ, enrich and quantify endogenous protein disorder in cells. TME exhibits a fluorescence turn-on effect upon selective conjugation with...

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Sex differences, driven in part by steroid hormones, shape the structure and function of the brain throughout the lifespan and manifest across brain health and disease. The influence of steroid hormones on neuroplasticity, particularly in the adult hippocampus, differs between the sexes, which has important implications for disorders and diseases that compromise hippocampus integrity, such as depression and Alzheimer disease. This Review outlines the intricate relationship between steroid...