image: Seeking to pinpoint Alzheimer's disease at its earliest manifestations, researchers at the University of Houston are working toward ways to slow down memory loss. By looking for the earliest breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, neuroscientist Jokubas Ziburkus and pharmacologist Jason Eriksen hope to restore nerve cell function in the early stages of Alzheimer's, ultimately correcting the dysfunction with new therapeutic targets. Their research looks at nerve cells in the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain important for memory function and formation, as well as one of the first regions affected by Alzheimer's disease. In particular, they are looking at amyloid-beta (Abeta), a protein fragment linked to Alzheimer's disease that accumulates in the hippocampus during early stages of the disease and is believed to cause dysfunction in this region. The team's approach was to monitor activity in individual neurons and neuronal circuits, to get a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying dementia. Using electrophysiology, they were able to record a specific subset of neurons, called inhibitory cells, in the hippocampus. They also performed imaging experiments using voltage-sensitive dye, which is made up of fluorescent molecules that can report changes in electrical potential of individual neurons and neural circuits. Through these electrical recordings of nerve cell activity, they focused on a region of the hippocampus known as the dentate gyrus thought to contribute to the formation of new memories. They found that the main type of excitatory cells in this region had unusually strong responses to signals from other neurons. The researchers believe this is caused by dysfunction in the nerve cells that normally inhibit such activity. Subsequently, they found impaired mechanisms believed to underlie short-term memory and activity that exhibited epileptic-like characteristics. Ziburkus' research is supported by a $100,000 New Investigator Grant from the Alzheimer's Association, and their results have been published in PLOS ONE. This project is a collaboration between the College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics and College of Pharmacy at the University of Houston. For more information, visit http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2013/november/111313ZiburkusAlzheimers.php. view more
Credit: Thomas Campbell