Does The Pathological Role Of Tau-Protein Differ In Non- Alzheimer's Dementia?

Reduction in tau protein may not protect against Parkinson's and Lewy body dementias.

Reduction in tau protein may not protect against Parkinson's and Lewy body dementias as the pathologic role of tau differs from that in Alzheimer's disease, as per a study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, published in the journal eNeuro.

Parkinson's disease dementia and Lewy body dementia are a type of neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by intracellular aggregates of misfolded alpha-synuclein protein in brain neurons. They are the second most common cause of neurodegenerative dementia after Alzheimer's.

Dementia - Types, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Dementia has become a very big concern as we have an aging population across the world. Dementia is also terrifying to us because of its disturbing symptoms and limited treatment options.

‘Reduction in tau protein may not protect against Parkinson's and Lewy body dementias. This suggests that the pathologic role of tau differs n Parkinson's and Lewy body dementias when compared with that in Alzheimer's disease.’

The study team utilized an earlier developed Parkinson's disease model with templated alpha-synuclein inclusion formation and compared the neurons that produce the normal amount of tau protein with the mutant neurons that lack one or both genes for tau production.

It was hypothesized that if the endogenous tau contributes to disease progression, the heterozygous or knockout tau mutants were expected to show protection. However, no difference was found from the wild-type control.

Tau-proteins and its Pathogenesis

Alzheimer’s disease - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Stages, Types, Prevention, Prognosis & Treatment
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting memory and thinking and making the person increasingly dependent on others.

The team showed that the reduction or complete absence of tau did not prevent fibril-induced alpha-synuclein inclusion formation in primary hippocampal neurons growing in vitro and also in the motor control or limbic areas of the brain, including the cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and the substantia nigra pars compacta, as measured six weeks or six months after fibril injections.

It was also seen that almost half of the wild-type neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine underwent death due to the alpha-synuclein fibrils in the mouse model, which was similar to that in the tau-heterozygous or tau-knockout mice.

Diseases Related to Old Age
Ageing is referred to the accumulation of changes that brings a person closer to death.

Moreover, the reduction in tau proteins did not show any major impact on behavioral phenotypes of mice with fibril-induced α-synuclein inclusions.

"Here, we have shown that reduction of endogenous tau did not influence formation of templated alpha-synuclein inclusion formation or the loss of dopamine neurons. This suggests that therapeutics directed to tau for Parkinson's disease may be more complicated than tau reduction. This is unlike Alzheimer's disease, where tau reduction has been suggested as a possible therapy," says Laura Volpicelli-Daley, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology.

Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease
Deep brain stimulation using electrical impulses jumpstarts the nerve cells that produce the chemical messenger dopamine to reduce tremors and muscle rigidity that are the hallmark of Parkinson’s disease.

Source-Medindia