Worldwide, at least 50 million people are believed to be living with a form of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia. It is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects memory and cognitive functions.
Symptoms include memory loss that disrupts daily life, poor judgment and taking longer to complete normal daily tasks. There is currently no cure. The most common form of Alzheimer's disease is called sporadic Alzheimer's disease, which occurs due to a complex combination of genes, environment and lifestyle.
It has no specific family link. Astrocytes are a subtype of important cells that make up the majority of cells in the nervous system. They perform many functions including providing nutrients, support, and insulation for neurons.
Early in Alzheimer's disease, it has been shown that astrocytes have problems with their metabolism and aren't able to process information properly, impacting the energy used to help neurons function effectively. "Most people focus on neurons, but there are actually more astrocytes in the brain than neurons. Once the metabolism of astrocytes becomes perturbed, then the astrocyte definitely will not be able to provide as much support to neurons," explains Professor Heather Mortiboys from the Neuroscience Institute.
A study undertaken by Dr. Simon Bell from the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Sheffield was the first to identify the impact of damaged astrocytes in sporadic Alzh.