Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 55 million people worldwide and remains the leading cause of dementia. For years, scientists have focused on the build-up of amyloid plaques and tau tangles as the primary drivers of the disease.
Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne, Australia, identified a previously overlooked mechanism involving a protein called SARM1. Under normal conditions, SARM1 helps remove damaged nerve cells following an injury. But the study found that in neurodegenerative diseases, the protein can become abnormally activated, causing healthy neurons to self-destruct. This widespread loss of brain cells contributes to memory decline, impaired thinking and other symptoms associated with dementia.
The discovery provides scientists with an entirely new target for treatment. Instead of focusing only on removing harmful protein deposits, future therapies may aim to block SARM1 and protect neurons from unnecessary cell death.
Researchers are already exploring drugs that could interrupt this destructive process before irreversible brain damage occurs. By uncovering a hidden pathway behind brain cell loss, scientists are opening new possibilities for slowing the progression of devastating neurodegenerative diseases.
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