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Scientists have created a new "atlas" of brain region altered by Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles have illustrated the most detailed version to date of structures, nerve connections and functions of the hippocampus.
Also called brain memory bank, the hippocampus is the first part of the brain damaged by Alzheimer's disease, but we do not know how that happens.
The team hopes that doctors will be able to use the new card to deliver genetically targeted drugs to specific neurons to slow down the effects of age-related brain disease.
A team from the University of Southern California has illustrated the most detailed version to date of the subregions of the hippocampus, the first part of the brain damaged by Alzheimer's disease.
The hippocampus has a shape similar to that of a horseshoe and rests near the base of the brain.
He is responsible for the treatment of memory – both long-term and location of objects and people – and emotional responses.
In the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, the hippocampus is particularly vulnerable to damage.
This damage can, in turn, lead to other diseases and disorders such as epilepsy.
It is estimated that 5.7 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer's disease in 2018.
Sufferers suffer from a decrease in their cognitive, behavioral and physical abilities and there is currently no cure available.
For this study, the USC team used a mouse brain because its structure and connectivity are similar to those of a human brain.
"As a new atlas, we have constructed the most detailed schematic of the hippocampus to date," said Dr. Michael Bienkowski, senior author, researcher at the Institute of Neuroimaging and Computer Science from the USC to the Keck School of Medicine.
"With a better map, we can see each region and how it works. A better map is a resource that scientists can use to better understand the hippocampus and how its degeneration causes disease. & # 39;
The team is studying disconnections in the brain as part of the Mouse Connectome project, led by the USC, which collects data on neuronal connections in the brain.
Disconnections in the brain are at the root of several diseases other than Alzheimer's disease, including Autism Spectrum Disorders, Huntington's Disease and Parkinson's Disease.
Although scientists understood the basic construction of the hippocampus, they were not able to identify how nerve cells interact with the subregions.
Using fluorescent tracers and 3D animation, researchers were able to discover cells and nerve connections to other areas of the brain.
"We see it doing different things and it gives us a new way of understanding how it all works together. This should have a very profound and broad impact, "said Dr. Bienkowski.
In the United States, Alzheimer's disease is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the elderly and the leading cause of dementia, according to the National Institute on Aging.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the disease is responsible for 93,500 deaths each year and that the prevalence and mortality rate will increase with the aging of the American population.
The Mouse Connectome project is part of a larger project funded by the National Institutes of Health to map all neuronal connections in the brain and understand how they regulate behavior.
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