Scientists at New York University School of Medicine have identified common mechanisms of epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. Research results published In the journal Acta Neuropathologica.
Brain tissue samples from people with epilepsy or Alzheimer’s disease were used in the study. The scientists performed comparative proteomic analysis to examine the expression of specific genes and the sum of corresponding proteins in the samples.
The analyzed proteomic dataset identified 777 proteins whose expression was significantly altered in the hippocampal region of individuals with epilepsy. Data on protein activity in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease were obtained using NeuroPro, a combinatorial analysis of proteins in human brain tissue. This analysis showed that 5,311 proteins are altered in Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers found that the synthesis patterns of certain proteins are similar in people with epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. In this context, general pathological changes were observed in the dysfunctions of mitochondria (organelles that provide energy to the cell) and synapses (contact points between two neurons).
It has also been found that in both types of diseases, the expression of Tau proteins, especially pTau217 and pTau231, is increased in the brain. Decreased cognitive functions, decreased brain weight, and the appearance of amyloid plaques in patients with Alzheimer’s disease are associated with an increased amount of Tau protein. In addition, previous studies in mice have shown that overexpression of specific Tau proteins may be an indirect cause of convulsive epileptic seizures.
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