urging “zombie cells” from the brain could stave off the effects of dementia, a groundbreaking study has found.
The research in mice is the first to show that so-called senescent cells, which enter a state of suspended animation as the body ages, contribute to neurodegeneration. Flushing out these cells was shown to prevent damage, potentially opening a new line of attack against Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Prof Lawrence Rajendran, deputy director of the Dementia Research Institute at King’s College London who was not involved in the study, described the findings as “exciting”.
“It is not only novel in its approach but also opens up new vistas for both diagnosis and therapy for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s,” he said.
The transformation of cells into the semi-dormant, senescent state is part of the body’s natural defences against cancer: when cells have accumulated mutations that could result in uncontrolled growth, the switch to senescence puts the brakes on.
Initially senescent cells were thought to be inert bystanders – useless, but harmless. However, in the past decade that picture has changed as evidence has emerged linking senescent cells to Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and ageing itself. The latest study adds dementia to this list.
Writing in the journal Nature, the researchers describe how mice with a genetic form of dementia accumulated senescent cells in regions of the brain that are involved in memory and cognition, such as the hippocampus. The mice had been genetically engineered to produce a faulty version of the brain protein tau, which was seen to build up in abnormal tangles as the mice lost the ability to learn and remember new information.
However, when the mice were treated by administering a genetically modified enzyme to sweep away senescent cells as they appeared, the outward symptoms of dementia vanished.
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