Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have identified the enzyme IDOL as a potential new target for treating Alzheimer's disease. Laboratory studies showed that removing the enzyme from neurons reduced amyloid plaques and improved brain cell communication.
The findings, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, come from experiments using animal models of the disease. Deleting the IDOL gene in neurons lowered plaque levels and reduced apolipoprotein E, a protein linked to higher Alzheimer's risk. Effects were stronger in neurons than in microglia, the brain's immune cells, contrary to initial expectations.
