Tara Spires Jones (UK) – February 7th, 2020, 11:30 AM – Amphi Broca Nouvelle Aquitaine
Unravelling the role of synapse degeneration in Alzeimer’s disease.
Abstract : synapse loss correlates strongly with cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, but the mechanisms underpinning this phenomenon remain unclear. In our group, we have evidence from mouse models and human post mortem brain tissue implicating pathological proteins in synapse degeneration mediated by interactions between neurons and glia.
In a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, behavioural changes are accompanied by accumulation of amyloid beta and tau in synapses, increases in inflammatory gene expression, and phagocytosis of synapses by microglia. When soluble tau levels were lowered, tau in synapses was reduced and the behavioural phenotype and inflammatory gene expression changes recovered. In human AD brain, we observe similar accumulations of pathological amyloid beta and tau in synapses, increases in proteins involved in microglial inflammation, and increased microglial ingestion of synaptic proteins compared to control brain. Together, our data implicate pathological protein accumulation in synapses may contribute to synapse phagocytosis by microglia.
Paul A.M. Smeets – March 6th, 2020, 11:30 AM – Amphi Broca Nouvelle Aquitaine
The healthy eater’s brain