Alzheimer plaque affects different brain cells differently

In advanced Alzheimer’s disease, huge numbers of nerve cells in the brain are dead.But the erroneously folded forms of amyloid beta do not accumulate only in nerve cells. Amyloid deposits are also found in the blood vessels of the brain, in the retina, and in cells known as glial cells.The researchers used fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) in their work. These have been extensively used in research to understand neuronal development and diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. “In this study we expressed the amyloid beta 1-42 in glial cells instead (of neurons), and observed that huge amounts of aggregate accumulated around these cells.”We noted that glial cells seem to produce the mature, less harmful form of amyloid beta, while neurons cannot.
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