Researchers solve enigma of TREM2 protein in Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (OH, USA) have elucidated the role of the immune system protein TREM2 in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which has previously caused controversy among researchers. Using the APPPS2-21 mouse model of AD they demonstrated that TREM2 deficiency ameliorates amyloid plaques in early stages of AD with opposing effects in the later stages. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, highlights the need to coordinate therapies with disease stages. TREM2, which sits on immune cell surfaces in the brain, recruits immune cells to respond to the amyloid plaques which form in AD; however,...