According to a study published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, inflammation of a gene abundant in the brain’s clearing cells, known as microglia, can significantly contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

In the study, the gene inositol polyphosphate-5-phosphatase D (INPP5D) was the subject of a collaborative study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Grossman School of Medicine at NYU Langone Health. Some of the previously conducted studies have shown that levels of INPP5D in the post-mortem brain tissue of Alzheimer’s patients are elevated compared to other patients. However, the specific role that the gene plays in early or late disease and the mechanism contributing to these altered functions remain unknown.

The researchers used the spatial transcriptomics method to observe the impact of knocking off the INPP5D gene in the brain tissues. Spatial transcriptomics is a molecular profiling method that allows scientists to measure all the gene expression in a tissue sample and map where the expression is occurring.

The microglia near amyloid plaques are known to express genes designated as plaque-induced genes (PIGs). The findings of the study show that after the INPP5D knockdown in the tissue model, there was an increase in the PIGs, which further increased the expression of CST7, a gene encoding the protein cystatin F. CST7 is a well-established factor associated with Alzheimer’s and prion diseases. Prion diseases are progressive neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals. 

(Source: https://theprint.in/health/inflammation-a-significant-factor-contributing-to-alzheimers-disease-study/1243369/ )