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Alzheimer’s disease is driven by a buildup of a toxic protein called Tau that kills neurons. As toxic Tau spreads to new regions of the brain, symptoms become worse and ultimately fatal.
Now, researchers have discovered that, in mice, a brain protein called Arc helps spread Tau from sick brain cells to healthy ones.
If therapies could be designed to target the spread, they could be a powerful tool to stop Alzheimer’s disease from getting worse.
“I’m excited by the fact that we’ve identified a new way of potentially stopping the progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” says Jason Shepherd, PhD, professor of neurobiology at University of Utah Health and senior author on the study.
