Astroglia in Alzheimer's Disease.

Alexei Verkhratsky, Vladimir Parpura, Jose Julio Rodriguez-Arellano, Robert Zorec

Journal: Advances in experimental medicine and biology 2019;1175():273-324

PMID: 31583592

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Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Cellular changes in the brains of the patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease occur well in advance of the clinical symptoms. At the cellular level, the most dramatic is a demise of neurones. As astroglial cells carry out homeostatic functions of the brain, it is certain that these cells are at least in part a cause of Alzheimer's disease. Historically, Alois Alzheimer himself has recognised this at the dawn of the disease description. However, the role of astroglia in this disease has been understudied. In this chapter, we summarise the various aspects of glial contribution to this disease and outline the potential of using these cells in prevention (exercise and environmental enrichment) and intervention of this devastating disease.

Address: Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK. [email protected].; Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark. [email protected].; Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011, Bilbao, Spain. [email protected].; Department of Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.; University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.; BioCruces Health Research Institute, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.; Department of Neuroscience, The University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Plaza de Cruces 12, 48903, Barakaldo, Bizkaia, Spain.; Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.; Celica BIOMEDICAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-9913-8_11