Alzheimer & Parkinson

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) drug discovery has been hampered by patient heterogeneity, and the lack of sensitive tools for precise stratification. Here, we demonstrate that our robust and interpretable AI-guided tool (predictive prognostic model, PPM) enhances precision in patient stratification, improving outcomes and decreasing sample size for a AD clinical trial. The AMARANTH trial of lanabecestat, a BACE1 inhibitor, was deemed futile, as treatment did not change cognitive outcomes, despite...

Secretory proteins aggregate into non-soluble dense-core granules in recycling endosome-like compartments prior to regulated release. By contrast, aberrantly processed, secreted amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides derived from amyloid precursor protein (APP) form pathological extracellular amyloidogenic aggregations in late-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). By examining living Drosophila prostate-like secondary cells, we show that both APP and Aβ peptides affect normal biogenesis of dense-core granules. These...

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CONCLUSIONS: Using cross-population GWAS meta-analyses, we identify novel LOAD susceptibility loci in/near LRRC4C and LHX5-AS1, both with known roles in neuronal development, as well as several novel population-unique loci. Reflecting the power of diverse ancestry in GWAS, we detect the SHARPIN locus with only 13.7% of the sample size of the NHW GWAS study (n = 409,589) in which this locus was first observed. Continued expansion into larger multi-ancestry studies will provide even more power for...

BIN1, a late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) risk gene, is an endocytic regulator with an unclear synaptic function. We find Bin1 more prominently in inhibitory synapses (vGAT positive) than in excitatory ones (vGLUT1 positive). Bin1 knockdown reduces inhibitory synapses independently of Aβ42 production, increasing GABA release from the remaining synapses due to accelerated vGAT exocytosis and endocytosis, which decreases the size of inhibitory synaptic endosomes. In excitatory synapses, Bin1...

The utilization of artificial intelligence in studying the dysregulation of gene expression in Alzheimer's disease (AD) affected brain tissues remains underexplored, particularly in delineating common and specific transcriptomic signatures across different brain regions implicated in AD-related cellular and molecular processes, which could help illuminate novel disease biology for biomarker and target discovery. Herein we developed a deep learning framework, which consisted of multi-layer...

Tau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging allows in vivo detection of tau proteinopathy in Alzheimer's disease, which is associated with neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Understanding how demographic, clinical and genetic factors relate to tau PET positivity will facilitate its use for clinical practice and research. Here we conducted an analysis of 42 cohorts worldwide (N = 12,048), including 7,394 cognitively unimpaired (CU) participants, 2,177 participants with mild cognitive...

Soluble amyloid-β oligomers (AβOs) are a hypothesized source of neurotoxicity in Alzheimer disease. Binding proteins that recognize these species may have high utility in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. However, identifying binders to AβOs directly generated from the aggregation cascade is challenging because of the short lifetime and low concentrations of oligomer populations. We report a strategy to detect binding to AβOs formed during Aβ42 aggregation using a genetically encoded...

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More than 57 million people globally suffer from neurodegenerative diseases, a figure expected to double every 20 years. Despite this growing burden, there are currently no cures, and treatment options remain limited due to disease heterogeneity, prolonged preclinical and prodromal phases, poor understanding of disease mechanisms, and diagnostic challenges. Identifying novel biomarkers is crucial for improving early detection, prognosis, staging and subtyping of these conditions....

The APOE ε4 genetic variant is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is increasingly being implicated in other neurodegenerative diseases. Using the Global Neurodegeneration Proteomics Consortium SomaScan dataset covering 1,346 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and 9,924 plasma samples, we used machine learning-based proteome profiling to identify an APOE ε4 proteomic signature shared across individuals with AD, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Parkinson's disease...

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), exhibit distinct yet overlapping pathological mechanisms. Leveraging large-scale plasma proteomics data from the Global Neurodegeneration Proteomics Consortium, we analyzed 10,527 plasma samples (1,936 AD, 525 PD, 163 FTD, 1,638 dementia and 6,265 controls) to identify disease-specific and shared proteins across NDs. We identified 5,187 proteins significantly associated...

The Rab3 protein family is composed of a series of small GTP-binding proteins, including Rab3a, Rab3b, Rab3c, and Rab3d, termed Rab3s. They play crucial roles in health, including in brain function, such as through the regulation of synaptic transmission and neuronal activities. In the high-energy-demanding and high-traffic neurons, the Rab3s regulate essential cellular processes, including trafficking of synaptic vesicles and lysosomal positioning, which are pivotal for the maintenance of...

Microglial spatial heterogeneity remains a crucial yet not fully answered question in the context of potential cell-directed therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD). There is an unclear understanding of the dynamics of distinct microglia states adjacent to or far from amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and their contributions to neurodegenerative diseases. Here we combine multicolor fluorescence cell fate mapping, single-cell transcriptional analysis, epigenetic profiling, immunohistochemistry and...

Neuroinflammation is a complex immunological phenomenon characterized by a dysregulated inflammatory response in the central nervous system (CNS) that can be triggered by various pathological injuries, such as toxins, which are involved in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases (PD and AD), therefore, suppressing neuroinflammation serves as an effective treatment for CNS diseases. Herein, we found that natural soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor 1-O-acetyl-4R,6S-britannilactone (AB)...

The aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) and α-synuclein (αSyn) into insoluble proteinaceous deposits is a hallmark of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Recent evidence suggests that these amyloidogenic proteins act in synergy, with their coaggregation frequently observed in these disorders. In this study, we investigate the interaction of Aβ and αSyn using various biophysical tools. In particular, we explore the cocondensation of Aβ with αSyn, elucidating the pathways through which Aβ modulates...

Medial ganglionic eminence-derived inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) pallial interneurons (MGE-pINs) are essential regulators of cortical circuits, and their dysfunction is associated with neurological disorders. We developed human MGE-pINs from pluripotent stem cells for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. Here, we analyzed xenografted MGE-pINs from human pluripotent stem cells (hMGE-pINs) over the lifespan of host mice in healthy and epileptic environments using single-nuclei...

Microglia, the resident immune sentinels of the central nervous system (CNS), engage in dynamic crosstalk with neurons, the principal units of information transmission, to maintain CNS homeostasis. Emerging research has established that dysregulation of this intricate communication network critically contributes to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis, offering novel insights for therapeutic development. In this review, we dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying multifaceted...

In this issue of Cell, Harris et al. reveal that high-molecular-weight soluble tau-rather than amyloid-beta-impairs burst firing in hippocampal neurons, providing a mechanistic link to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. This disruption, linked to CaV2.3 downregulation, highlights soluble tau as a key driver of neuronal dysfunction and a promising therapeutic target.