Inflammatory Response Kills Neurons in Alzheimer's Disease

Researchers have identified a mechanism that causes microglial cells in the brain to secrete molecules that stimulate an inflammatory response against the amyloid plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, which results in brain damage resulting from the death of neurons.

Investigators from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH, USA) reported in the April 2003 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience that the interaction of microglia with compacted deposits of amyloid fibrils resulted in the stimulation of intracellular Tyr kinase-based signaling cascades and cellular activation, which led to the secretion of pro-inflammatory molecules. More...