BrainWaves #145 Astroglia and Alzheimer disease

MedLink Neurology Podcast is delighted to feature selected episodes from BrainWaves, courtesy of James E Siegler MD, its originator and host. BrainWaves is an academic audio podcast whose mission is to educate medical providers through clinical cases and topical reviews in neurology, medicine, and the humanities. Episodes originally aired from 2016 to 2021.

Originally released: August 8, 2019

Clean up on aisle 4!

Or should it be IL-4? In this week's installment of the BrainWaves Podcast, we immerse ourselves into the microscopic environment of Alzheimer disease pathology. It's interesting, it's messy, and whoever made this mess is also responsible for the clean-up.

Produced by James E Siegler. Music courtesy of Andy Cohen, Brendan Kinsella, Cuicuitte, Damiano Baldoni, Kai Engel, Nctrnm. Sound effects by Mike Koenig, Blastfx.com, Caroline Ford, Robertv, and Daniel Simion. BrainWaves' podcasts and online content are intended for medical education only and should not be used for clinical decision-making. Be sure to follow us on Twitter (now X) @brainwavesaudio for the latest updates to the podcast.

REFERENCES

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Breitner JC, Baker LD, Montine TJ, et al. Extended results of the Alzheimer's disease anti-inflammatory prevention trial. Alzheimers Dement 2011;7(4):402-11. PMID 21784351

Chun H, Lee CJ. Reactive astrocytes in Alzheimer's disease: a double-edged sword. Neurosci Res 2018;126:44-52. PMID 29225140

Heneka MT, Carson MJ, El Khoury J, et al. Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease. Lancet Neurol 2015;14(4):388-405. PMID 25792098

Kumar A, Singh A, Ekavali. A review on Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology and its management: an update. Pharmacol Rep 2015;67(2):195-203. PMID 25712639

Maragakis NJ, Rothstein JD. Mechanisms of disease: astrocytes in neurodegenerative disease. Nat Clin Pract Neurol 2006;2(12):679-89. PMID 17117171

Mattsson N, Zetterberg H, Hansson O, et al. CSF biomarkers and incipient Alzheimer disease in patients with mild cognitive impairment. JAMA 2009;302(4):385-93. PMID 19622817

Wisniewski T, Konietzko U. Amyloid-beta immunisation for Alzheimer's disease. Lancet Neurol 2008;7(9):805-11. PMID 18667360

Yan R, Vassar R. Targeting the β secretase BACE1 for Alzheimer's disease therapy. Lancet Neurol 2014;13(3):319-29. PMID 24556009

We believe that the principles expressed or implied in the podcast remain valid, but certain details may be superseded by evolving knowledge since the episode’s original release date.