Tag : Dysfunction

Washington: According to a preclinical study led by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers, people with dementia have protein buildup in their astrocytes, which may cause abnormal antiviral activity and memory loss. Dysfunction in cells called neurons, which transmit messages throughout the brain, has long been the prime suspect in dementia-related cognitive deficits. But a new study, published in Science Advances, suggests that abnormal immune activity in non-neuronal brain cells called astrocytes is sufficient to cause cognitive deficits in dementia. The discovery could lead to new treatments that reduce excess immune activity in astrocytes and their detrimental effects on other brain cells and cognition. "Astrocyte dysfunction alone can drive memory loss, even when neurons and other cells are otherwise healthy," said co-senior author Dr. Anna Orr, the Nan and Stephen Swid Assistant Professor of Frontotemporal Dementia Research in the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute and a member of the Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine. "We found, in mice, that astrocytes can cause cognitive decline through their antiviral activities, which can make neurons hyperactive." While neurons have been intensively studied in dementia and other diseases, much less research has focused on astrocytes, which many scientists viewed as playing only supporting roles to neurons in brain health. "We are very interested in the roles of astrocytes in cognitive and behavioral disorders," she said. "These cells are prevalent in the brain and perform various key functions, but their involvement in neurocognitive disorders like dementia are poorly understood." When the investigators, including first author Dr. ...