Dr. Regina Vontell, Executive Director of the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank , and a team of University of Miami researchers made the cover of Brain Pathology with their exciting new research, which has uncovered important findings about Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the role of our brain’s immune system. The study found that certain proteins called inflammasome proteins are more active in the early stages of AD. These proteins are involved in the brain’s inflammatory response. Interestingly, different cells in the brain play different roles in this process. The study showed that these proteins are found in specific types of brain cells: microglia, which are the brain’s immune cells, and neurons, which are the cells responsible for communication in the brain. The researchers also discovered that the level of one particular protein called ASC is related to the presence of two key markers of AD: β-amyloid plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau. These findings are a significant step forward in our understanding of how AD progresses and may lead to new ways to diagnose and treat the disease in the future.
