A new way of thinking about Alzheimer’s disease has yielded a discovery that could be the key to stopping the cognitive decline seen in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have been investigating the possibility that Alzheimer’s is caused, at least in part, by the immune system’s wayward attempts to fix DNA damage in the brain. Their research reveals that an immune molecule called STING drives the formation of the harmful plaques and protein tangles thought responsible for Alzheimer’s. Blocking the molecule protected lab mice from mental decline, the researchers say.
An important player in the brain’s immune system, STING also may be a key contributor to Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease),…