AD/PD 2022 | Neuroinflammation and synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease

Pablo Largo-Barrientos, MSc, PhD Student, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium, discusses neuroinflammation and synaptic loss as characteristic features of tauopathies, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Many known Alzheimer’s risk genes are associated with microglia and inflammatory pathways, further implicating neuroinflammation as a key pathological process in Alzheimer’s disease. Recent data has shown that tau induces synaptic loss and neuroinflammation independently, with each feature able to be rescued without affecting the other. Largo-Barrientos notes that future therapeutic approaches may need to target both these processes to have a meaningful impact on Alzheimer’s pathology. This interview took place at the AD/PD™ 2022 Conference in Barcelona, Spain.