A Little-Known Protein Could Point to a New Way To Treat Alzheimer’s

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys showed that increasing levels of the SORLA protein reduces brain atrophy and tau accumulation in mice with tauopathy, while its absence worsens damage. The results were published in Science Advances and point to a potential target for Alzheimer's therapy.

• Increasing SORLA reduced brain atrophy and tau accumulation in mice
• In mice without the Sorl1 gene, damage from tau tangles worsened
• SORLA suppressed tau hyperphosphorylation and preserved synapses
• Scientists plan to test drugs against plexin-B receptors