News Neuroscience

Nerve cell links severed in early stages of Alzheimer’s

Synapse loss study points to new path for fighting degenerative brain disease

Mouse brain cells

CRIME SCENE  Following an injection of the Alzheimer’s-related protein amyloid-beta, a microglial cell (red) engulfs synapses (green) in a mouse’s hippocampus. 

S. Hong et al/Science 2016

By Laura Sanders

- More than 2 years ago

In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, an overzealous set of proteins and cells begins to chew away at the brain’s nerve cell connections, a study in mice suggests.