Alzheimer's Brain Damage May Begin Outside the Brain

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found that immune cells driving neurodegeneration in tau accumulation receive instructions from lymph nodes outside the brain. Blocking these signals in mice protected neurons and preserved cognitive abilities despite unchanged tau tangles. The study was published in Nature Neuroscience.

• Blocking dendritic cell signals from lymph nodes protected mouse neurons
• Tau tangle levels in the brain remained unchanged
• The approach may bypass the blood-brain barrier in drug development
• Researchers are testing whether midlife intervention offers the same protection