Scientists find new probable cause of neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists have discovered a new probable cause of neurodegenerative diseases. The cause may be related to the formation of abnormal proteins in the brain, journal Cell writes.

According to MedicalXpress, the research team extracted proteins from the brain tissue of 11 patients who died from three incurable neurodegenerative diseases associated with misfolded proteins: progressive supranuclear palsy, dementia with Levi's bodies (DLB) and frontotemporal lobe degeneration (FTLD). FTLD is the most common form of dementia in persons under 60 years of age.

It has been found that a protein called TMEM106B can form fibrils, structures that can have a pathological effect on brain neurons. This protein is a major component of lysosomes and endosomes, which are organelles that clear cells of debris that accumulates with age.

TMEM106B proteins divide into two fragments. The fragments within the organelles can self-assemble into what the researchers suspect are fibrous fibrils.

So far, scientists do not know whether these fibrils actually cause disease, but they are certainly present in the affected tissue, indicating their likely role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

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