Scientists at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute have proposed a unifying explanation for the molecular chaos driving Alzheimer’s disease. According to their analysis, the breakdown of cellular messaging triggered by the formation of chronic stress granules in the brain may be a key factor in the development of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The research highlights the fact that gene expression is altered on an enormous scale in Alzheimer’s, affecting the proper functioning of synapses in the brain, metabolism, protein processing, and cell survival. The study suggests that these changes occur at a very early stage of the disease, long before clinical symptoms appear.
Chronic stress granules are structures that form temporarily in response to cell stress, but in Alzheimer’s disease, they persist abnormally and become chronic and pathological, trapping vital molecules and hampering their movements into and out of the cell nucleus. This disruption can be likened to a clogged highway preventing the movement of critical goods.
The researchers propose that targeting stress granules at an early stage could potentially transform the approach to combating Alzheimer’s disease. By identifying and addressing the formation of pathological stress granules, it may be possible to halt or delay the onset of symptoms such as amyloid plaques and tau tangles.
This research has significant implications for society and future medical approaches, shifting the focus from managing later-stage symptoms to preventing the disease from advancing altogether. While these interventions are still in the research phase, they highlight a promising avenue for understanding and mitigating the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Source: https://news.asu.edu/20250206-health-and-medicine-asu-researchers-propose-unifying-model-alzheimers-disease