Michael Bula News Today

MIT research shows that in people carrying the APOE4 risk variant, a key brain cell type mismanages cholesterol needed to insulate neurons properly — another sign that APOE4 contributes to Alzheimer's disease by disrupting lipids in the brain.

When people carry the Alzheimer's associated APOE4 gene, oligodendrocytes fail to transport fatty molecules to wrap neurons that make brain circuitry connections. This deficit of myelin may contribute to the pathology and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.