Archive for neuroinflammation
A promising target for ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders: Curbing inflammation
When cells recognize a danger, such as an infection, they activate the innate immune system. Sentinel molecules sound an alarm, recruiting immune cells to take down the threat. In 2016, Judy Lieberman, MD, PhD and her colleagues at Boston Children’s Hospital showed that a protein called gasdermin D initiates a final, decisive step: pyroptosis, a ... Read More
A new angle on the cause of Alzheimer’s disease: Accumulating brain mutations
Alzheimer’s disease is marked by a loss of functional neurons in the brain. But what causes this loss? A new study reveals that people with Alzheimer’s have an abundance of newly acquired mutations in their neurons — more than people of the same age without Alzheimer’s, and enough to disable genes important to brain function. ... Read More
The tiny choroid plexus protects the prenatal brain — but may also pass on inflammation from the mother
Floating in fluid deep in the brain are small, little-understood fronds of tissue. Two new studies reveal that these miniature organs are a hotbed of immune system activity. This activity may protect the developing brain from infections and other insults — but may also contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. Key takeaway This pioneering work ... Read More
Pain neurons activate immune cells, opening new treatment possibilities
For a long time, pain and inflammation were thought to be two separate biological responses. But new research by Boston Children’s Hospital and international collaborators suggests that the same sensory neurons that produce pain also trigger inflammation. And they do so by activating cells of the immune system, a relationship never described before. This interaction ... Read More
Targeting a rogue T cell prevents and reverses multiple sclerosis in mice
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease affecting both adults and children. It’s driven by “helper” T cells, white blood cells that mount an inflammatory attack on the brain and spinal cord, degrading the protective myelin sheath that covers nerve fibers. But there are many different kinds of T helper cells, and up until now, no ... Read More
Genetic analysis backs a neuroimmune view of schizophrenia: Complement gone amok
A deep genetic analysis, involving nearly 65,000 people, finds a surprising risk factor for schizophrenia: variation in an immune molecule best known for its role in containing infection, known as complement component 4 or C4. The findings, published this week in Nature, also support the emerging idea that schizophrenia is a disease of synaptic pruning, ... Read More