Reducing tau as a Therapeutic Strategy for Improving Cognitive Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

The goal of this proposal is to address the NETPR mission by assessing tau reduction as a therapeutic intervention point for preventing dementia and mood disorders in PD. Neuronal protein inclusions composed of alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) called Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites are primary characteristics in brains from PD patients. To test this, we are using a model of PD in which exposure of neurons to alpha-syn fibrils induces formation of inclusions from endogenously expressed alpha-syn that recapitulate many features of inclusions in diseased brains. During this research period we found that there are fewer alpha-syn inclusions in cultured neurons from tau knockout mice compared to control neurons. In the next cycle we will determine if reduction of tau prevents inclusion formation in the cortex, hippocampus and amygdala, in vivo.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2018
Accession Number
AD1094427

Entities

People

  • Laura A Volpicelli-Daley

Organizations

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alzheimer Disease
  • Brain
  • Brain Injuries
  • Cells
  • Cellular Structures
  • Chemistry
  • Dementia
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mood Disorders
  • Neurodegeneration
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases
  • Neurons
  • Neurosciences
  • Parkinson'S Disease

Fields of Study

  • Biology
  • Medicine

Readers

  • Neurodegenerative Parkinson's Disease and Rickettsial Disease handbook, including the data level of dopamine, BC, neurons, and PD.
  • Neuroscience