TREM2 gene simultaneously a benefit and a hazard for Alzheimer’s sufferers

Written by Francis Davies, Future Science Group

Research recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has suggested that in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, TREM2 variants can impede the immune system’s ability to protect the brain from amyloid beta; while in later stages coinciding with a buildup of tau tangles, the absence of TREM2 protects the brain from damage. The study was conducted by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (MO, USA). In an investigation into the effects of TREM2 on tau, it was discovered that mice without the protein displayed significantly reduced brain damage in comparison to those...

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