The brain's immune cells may be behind the loss of neurons associated with Alzheimer's disease, new EU-funded research suggests. The findings, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, could lead to the development of new treatments for the neurodegenerative disease.

Alzheimer's disease is a leading cause of dementia among the elderly; as many as 18 million people worldwide suffer from the condition, and this figure is set to rise as our populations age. The disease is characterised by the progressive, irreversible loss of nerve cells from the brain and the build-up of proteins in beta amyloid plaques and tangles.

Known as microglia, the immune cells of the brain are able to destroy the beta amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. However, the microglia are also known to kill off brain cells in mice with other neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease. 

In this study, scientists from Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) in Germany and the University of California at Irvine in the US set out to determine whether the microglia were more friend or foe in Alzheimer's disease. This time, nerve cell loss was prevented, demonstrating that communication between the nerve cells and microglia is an important factor in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

EU support for the work came from the NEURO.GSK3 ('GSK-3 [glycogen synthase kinase 3] in neuronal plasticity and neurodegeneration: basic mechanisms and pre-clinical assessment') project, which has been allocated EUR 3.57 million under the Health Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include memory loss, confusion, language difficulties and changes in behaviour. As the disease progresses, these symptoms worsen until patients are largely bedridden and unable to take care of themselves. There is no cure for Alzheimer's at this time.

European Union has strongly expressed its commitment on the fight against this disease: in summer 2009, European Commission adopted concrete proposals to tackle Alzheimer’s disease, dementias and other neurodegenerative conditions, and later that year, Parliament endorsed a resolution to coordinate research across Europe on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s