Neurons that regularly remodel are more prone to the dysfunctions linked to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.
Using a machine learning framework that integrated neuron type-specific mouse experiments with human studies, the researchers compared two types of neurons susceptible to Alzheimer's with five resistant types.
The most significant difference was that the vulnerable neurons were enriched with processes related to remodelling connections with adjacent neurons.
The findings suggest that ageing and the accumulation of a protein fragment called amyloid-beta can cause the remodelling process to go haywire, creating tangles of tau proteins that lead to Alzheimer's disease.
The work is the first to link amyloid-beta and tau proteins -- two previously proposed prime suspects in Alzheimer's progression -- at the genetic and molecular levels.