United States: According to a recent study of cells from eighty-four cadaver brains, it is revealed that Alzheimer’s has mainly two distinct phases, where a particular type of neuron is majorly vulnerable.
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According to Ed Lein, a senior investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, “There’s an early phase where there’s a very slow increase in the amount of pathology,” NPR News reported.
“Then a more exponential phase where suddenly things get really bad,” Lein added.
The results show that in the first phase of Alzheimer’s, a small subset of neurons called somatostatin inhibitory neurons start dying off, as Lein, along with a team of around a hundred scientists, reported.
As Lein stated, “That was quite a surprise” because these neurons have, till now, gotten comparatively less attention from Alzheimer’s researchers.
What more have the findings suggested?
Furthermore, as findings suggest, the treatments of Alzheimer’s are very helpful in treating the disease in the early phase, which would help in providing protection for vulnerable inhibitory neurons.
The results also showcased the way scientists are receiving more knowledge that Alzheimer’s is being evolved or changed by novel tools and ways, revealing detailed information about individual brain cells that are millions in number.
According to Dr. Richard Hodes, who directs the National Institute on Aging, which played a key role in funding the research, “They’ve produced a picture of what’s going on that no one could have anticipated just a few years ago,” NPR News reported.
How do we track brain changes?
The study analyzed the data of 3.4 million+ cells in the brains of those individuals who have died at the age of 65 or more. Among them, some had healthy brains, while others were in several stages of Alzheimer’s.
Furthermore, the team also took into account an area known as the middle temporal gyrus, which is involved in language, memory, and vision.
The scientists, by comparing the cells from different stages, were able to form a timeline that showcased the way how the disease alters the brain.
Moreover, Lien added, “We measure all the genes in each individual cell,” and “That allows you to not only identify those cells, but look for changes in those cells as a result of disease.”
“We were looking for vulnerable cell populations, for example, particular types of neurons that might be specifically lost early in the disease,” Lein added.
“But it turns out that the first cells lost are actually some of the inhibitory neurons,” he continued.