Rutgers experts said that the damaging proteins related to Alzheimer's disease target human brain cells and ravage surrounding tissue. However, drinking wine could help solve the disorder.
According to the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Aging, Alzheimer's disease is a brain ailment that gradually impairs thinking, memory, and the capacity to do even the most basic tasks. Symptoms of the late-onset kind often begin to show in most patients in their mid-60s.
A woman, suffering from Alzheimer's desease, looks at an old picture on March 18, 2011 in a retirement house in Angervilliers, eastern France.
Human Brain Cells Mechanism in Alzheimer's Disease Unveiled
Researchers found a critical process that might be a possible therapeutic target for a condition that affects millions of people. There is no known treatment in one of the first studies of its type looking at human brain cells cultured in a mouse brain.
The findings were published in the journal Cell Stem Cell. The researchers created a human-mouse chimera by injecting human brain immune cells into the brains of specially engineered immunodeficient mice.
Researchers described what occurred to specialized immune brain cells known as microglia when those cells were exposed to tau proteins. These compounds are considered harmful to Alzheimer's and other severe conditions affecting the human brain.
Peng Jiang, an associate professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, said per News Wise: "In this study, we used our newly developed chimeric mouse brain model - where human cells are injected and allowed to grow, develop and mature with appropriate functions in a live mouse brain."
He added: "This provided an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the role of human microglia in brains as well as the cognitive impairment seen in Alzheimer's Disease and Down syndrome, a genetic disorder with a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease."
The researchers created a human-mouse chimera by injecting human brain immune cells into the brains of specially engineered immunodeficient mice. They described what occurred to specialized immune brain cells known as microglia when those cells were exposed to tau proteins, which are thought to be harmful compounds linked to Alzheimer's and other serious conditions affecting the human brain.
Mengmeng Jin, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers and the first author of the study, mentioned in the same Newswise report: "Since microglial cells are one of the first cell responders when something goes wrong in the brain, we believe the changes we saw to be significant."
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A genomic investigation also revealed that interferon signaling genes were active during the attack, suggesting a crucial region to target for upcoming treatments.
Will Wine Cure Alzheimers? Here's What Experts Say!
Another research published in PLOS Medicine suggested that just one tiny glass of wine each day might cause Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease.
Iron in the brain is fueled by seven units of alcohol per week, or half the advised limit.
Alcohol accelerates cognitive decline by suppressing a hormone that regulates the body's absorption of the mineral.
Dr. Anya Topiwala, a professor at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and the study's primary author, said in a Zenger News report (via Newsweek) that drinking more than seven units of alcohol per week is linked to iron buildup in the brain.
Topiwala said that worse cognitive performance was also associated with increased brain iron levels. Alcohol-related cognitive impairment could be caused by iron buildup.
Deep grey matter, among other areas, has been reported to have increased amounts in dementia patients. Parkinson's patients have the same pattern, according to research.
It is associated with developing abnormal proteins called amyloid beta, which aggregate and destroy neurons.
Blood-borne iron is necessary for proper brain function, but it must be strictly controlled.
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