Defender of synapses

A protein has been found that prevents the destruction of synapses in Alzheimer's

Georgy Golovanov, Hi-tech+

Scientists who have studied the factors of the development of neurological diseases have discovered a new class of proteins that help prevent destructive processes in the brain. Their work will provide a better understanding of why some people are more at risk of schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease than others.

Synapses connecting neurons play an important role in brain health, but if amyloid plaques and tau proteins begin to accumulate at their tips, their activity is disrupted. This leads to memory and cognitive impairments characteristic of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

A study conducted by scientists from The University of Texas, focused on another mechanism – complement-mediated removal of synapses, according to a press release Synapse-saving class of proteins discovered, opening intriguing possibilities in Alzheimer's, schizophrenia. We are talking about the signaling pathway of the immune system, which the brain needs in order to get rid of excess synapses with the help of proteins that mark those that need to be removed.

Although synapses are essential for brain health, too many of them harm the body. Usually, the maximum number of synapses accumulates in the brain between the ages of 12 and 16, and then the complementary system begins to remove them. Since then, adults have been forming a balance between the formation and removal of synapses, but sometimes things don't go as planned.

Texas neuroscientists have removed complementary proteins from mice with Alzheimer's disease and found that it protects the rodent brain from degeneration.

Then they moved on and identified SRPX2 proteins that inhibit the activity of the complementary system and play a protective role. The experiment showed that mice without the SRPX2 gene are susceptible to excessive synapse loss.

Article by Cong et al. The endogenous neuronal complement inhibitor SRPX2 protects against complement-mediated synapse elimination during development is published in the journal Nature Neuroscience – VM.

This finding raises interesting questions: can the complementary system explain why some people are more susceptible to neurodegenerative disorders than others. Scientists also hope that based on their discovery, it will be possible to develop a drug that protects the health of synapses.

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