Blocking this pathway in mouse brains modeled on Alzheimer's prevented damage to their synapse connections and reduced the buildup of potentially toxic tau proteins – both hallmarks of the condition.

The researchers, led by a team from the City University of New York (CUNY), believe this pathway – called the integrated stress response (ISR) – causes brain immune cells called microglia to go 'dark' and start damaging rather than benefiting the brain.

The researchers looked at the effects of stress on microglia cells. (Flury et al., Neuron, 2024)