Ground Zero of Alzheimer's disease

Photo: juliendn / flickr / cc by-nc-sa 

• AD stands for Alzheimer's disease
  • A progressive, degenerative disorder
• Researchers identify brain region, first place affected by late onset AD
  • The Region, Locus Coeruleus, first shows Tau pathology (which later identifies AD)
• Locus Coeruleus, releases Norepinephrine (a neurotransmitter):
  • Regulates heart rate, attention, memory, and cognition
  • Help regulate blood vessel activity
  • Protects neurons from factors that kill the cells
  • May Accelerate AD (through inflammation, and unrestrained neurotransmitters stimulation
• Highly interconnected, the Locus Coeruleus, may be susceptible to toxins and infections
• Published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences