A recent study conducted by researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University has revealed that a harmful form of the tau protein, which accumulates in Alzheimer’s disease and similar brain disorders, can directly damage blood vessels in the brain. This discovery, published online in “Alzheimer’s & Dementia,” the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, introduces a new molecular mechanism that may explain how tau leads to vascular dysfunction in the brain.
The research emphasizes the significance of focusing on early neurovascular changes caused by tau to help prevent or slow down damage to the blood-brain barrier associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Silvia Fossati, Interim Director of the Alzheimer’s Center at Temple and Associate Professor of Neural Sciences and Cardiovascular Sciences at Lewis Katz School of Medicine, is the senior author of this paper. Graduate student Roberto Guzmán-Hernández is credited as the first author.
This development has been covered by multiple media outlets, underscoring its importance in understanding and potentially addressing Alzheimer’s disease.
