Neuro Trash

Alzheimer’s is a chronic brain disease responsible for two thirds of the world’s dementia. In these post-mortem samples from human brains, potential causes are highlighted in bright colours. Amyloid plaques (pictured in blue and pink) are clumps of 'junk' proteins that are hard for the body to break down – instead they gather like sticks in a dam, blocking the brain’s signals and causing nerve damage (shown in yellow). A developing plaque (left column) can be relatively harmless, but over decades it grows more dense, producing far more yellow-coloured destruction (middle column). Our brains have cells called microglia which act a bit like miniature trash compactors, squashing amyloid plaques into a less harmful form (right), but some hereditary disorders can cripple microglia making dementia more likely. Understanding the genes involved might allow treatments to bolster the microglia and help them to take out the amyloid trash.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from work by Peng Yuan and colleagues
• Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
• Image copyright held by Elsevier 2016
• Published in Neuron, May 2016