Alpha-synuclein discovered in synapses of DLB patients

Written by Rhiannon Finnie

A study, co-led by the University of Edinburgh (UK), has reported an insight into how a damaging protein, alpha-synuclein, could be causing brain cell disruption in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).  The research, recently published in Brain, discovered deposits of alpha-synuclein in the synapses of patients who had died with DLB and believe these deposits may be responsible for progression of DLB and dementia symptoms. The research team analyzed brain samples of five patients who had died with DLB,  discovering  deposits of alpha-synuclein present within the synapses. Comparatively, these deposits were not discovered in the brain tissue of patients who...

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