Longevity & AgingScientists Discover How Alzheimer's Toxic Proteins Destroy Brain Cells
Researchers at King's College London have identified a previously unknown process called karyoptosis that may explain how brain cells die in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. When toxic proteins accumulate inside neurons, they destabilize the cell's nucleus, causing it to shrink and disintegrate. The team analyzed 3,000 brain cells from 28 people with dementia and found karyoptosis present in 35% of Alzheimer's frontal cortex cells, versus 15% in healthy older adults. Crucially, they pinpointed a molecular switch involving the kinase p38 MAP kinase and the protein LaminB1 that controls this process. Blocking this switch in rat neurons reduced cell death markers, suggesting a potential new therapeutic target for slowing neurodegeneration.
