Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most feared illnesses of aging. It slowly destroys memory, thinking ability, and independence, affecting millions of people worldwide. A major cause of this disease is the buildup of toxic proteins in the brain, especially a protein called tau.
When tau clumps together inside nerve cells, it damages their structure and function, eventually leading to cell death. Scientists have been searching for safe ways to remove these toxic proteins, but progress has been slow.
A new study led by researchers at the USC Stem Cell research center has discovered a promising approach to reduce harmful tau buildup. Instead of targeting a brain chemical called glutamate, which has been linked to tau formation, the team developed a gene-based strategy that helps brain cells clear toxic proteins naturally.
Glutamate is one of the most important chemicals in the brain. It allows nerve cells to communicate with each other and plays a key role in memory, learning, and mood. However, too much glutamate activity can become harmful.
Overstimulation can lead to stress inside nerve cells and trigger the buildup of tau proteins, which contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia. Although it might seem logical to reduce glutamate levels, doing so would disrupt normal brain function and could cause serious side effects such as memory problems, movement difficulties, or even loss of consciousness.
Because of these risks, the research team took a different path. Rather than blocking glutamate, they focused on strengthening the brain’s own cleaning system. The brain naturally has ways to remove waste and damaged proteins, but this system often becomes less effective with age.
To study the problem, the scientists used human brain organoids, which are tiny brain-like structures grown in the laboratory from stem cells. Some organoids were made from healthy individuals, while others came from patients with tau-related diseases.
When these organoids were exposed to glutamate, the diseased ones showed heavy tau buildup and nerve cell damage. Similar effects were also observed in mice carrying a genetic mutation linked to dementia.
The researchers then searched for genes that respond to glutamate exposure and found one that played a crucial role. This gene, called KCTD20, appeared to control how cells handle toxic proteins.
When the scientists reduced the activity of this gene in both the organoids and the mice, tau buildup dropped dramatically. The nerve cells remained healthy even in conditions that normally would have caused damage.
Further investigation revealed how this worked. Blocking KCTD20 activated lysosomes, which are small structures inside cells that act like waste disposal units.
These lysosomes surrounded the toxic tau clumps and removed them from the cells. By boosting this natural cleaning process, the brain was able to protect itself without interfering with normal glutamate function.
This discovery is important because it suggests a safer way to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Instead of trying to reduce essential brain chemicals, future treatments could focus on enhancing the brain’s ability to clear harmful proteins. Such an approach could slow disease progression and protect nerve cells over time.
Although the research is still in early stages, it opens new possibilities for drug development. Scientists hope to create therapies that target the KCTD20 gene or stimulate lysosome activity. If successful, these treatments could help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s and related conditions, offering hope to patients and their families.
The findings were published in the scientific journal Neuron and represent an exciting step forward in understanding how to fight neurodegenerative diseases.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about the protective power of dietary antioxidants against Alzheimer’s, and eating habits linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms, and Vitamin E may help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
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