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Alzheimer's Damage May Originate Outside the Brain

New research in mice suggests immune cells outside the brain may initiate Alzheimer's-related damage, offering a potential new treatment avenue.

Suppressing immune cells in lymph nodes protected mice from neurodegeneration, even with brain protein tangles. This challenges the focus on directly targeting brain proteins.

Previous work linked T cells near tau tangles to damage. This study explored how T cells access the brain, questioning if entry is passive or primed.

Priming involves T cells multiplying, directed by dendritic cells presenting threat signals. The study examined dendritic cells in lymph nodes during neurodegeneration.

Mice lacking dendritic cells showed protection from neurodegeneration and performed better cognitively, despite tau tangles. They had fewer T cells in their brains.

Fewer T cells suggest tau-induced damage is amplified by inflammation. Brain proteins traveled to lymph nodes, where dendritic cells activated T cells.

Mice with impaired dendritic cells had fewer T cells and better-preserved brain structures.

Researchers are exploring ways to suppress dendritic cells in adulthood, potentially bypassing the blood-brain barrier for treatment.

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