UQ researchers have discovered a critical link between the brain’s waste-clearing system and early neuron degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. QBI's Professor Elizabeth Coulson and Associate Professor Kai-Hsiang Chuang, the study shows that the first neurons to die in Alzheimer’s also regulate fluid flow essential for clearing brain toxins. When these neurons weaken, waste clearance is impaired—potentially triggering the disease.
The findings, based on human and animal studies, also revealed that existing Alzheimer’s drugs can partially restore this fluid flow. This research could lead to earlier diagnostics and treatments targeting disease onset, and supports Professor Coulson’s broader work on neuron death and Alzheimer’s triggers.
Read the media release here.
