Immune system activity can affect Alzheimer’s disease- implications from a mouse model

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, characterized by progressive age-associated memory and learning deficits. In mice, recruitment of white blood cells to the brain slowed down AD progress. PD-1 is a receptor expressed on immune cells to restrain their activation. We examined whether treatment with anti-PD-1 i.e. blocking of the receptor to trigger an immune response, could affect AD pathology. We found that mice with AD-like pathology treated with anti-PD-1 showed a significant improvement in cognitive and memory abilities, together with a positive effect on amyloid β plaque burden, hippocampal neurogenesis, synaptic activity, and neurons death. Our findings support in increasing immune system activity as a potential way to treat brain pathology.

Contestants

Leyla Vinopal